Surviving Sparkletopia
by Rainbowcrystle
Summary: Through the power of the sticky notes, Olivia sends all of the RotG characters, her BFFAD, Ana, and herself into a world were everyone eats rainbows and drinks glitter. Upon arrival, everyone loses their signature powers, leading Pitch to seek the feared Darklands. Accompanied by Olivia the Annoying, Pitch must somehow survive the chaos thrown his way while Ana runs Sparkletopia!
1. Sticky Notes

**This story will leave you sobbing, giggling, and wishing you were in it. Trust me, I lived it. This is a rather fun adventure, much like my 'How to Annoy the Boogeyman and Get Away With It' one-shot series, but with more depth (you'll see)! I hope this turns out well... we're doomed...**

Olivia and Ana sat in the last few minutes of study hall, bored and uninspired. They had finished their homework, but did not want to get up early and go sit in the gymnasium, where they would be separated by grade level. As Ana was a year younger than Olivia, they would be forced to endure the company of the morons in their own grades.

"I'm bored!" Olivia moaned, pulling her head up off the table.

"I wish we could go bug Pitch," Ana said.

"I know!" Olivia exclaimed, straightening up. "We should take the all of the people in the Rise of the Guardians movie and transport them to the world where everyone eats rainbows and drinks glitter to see who could survive the longest, like we had discussed on the phone the other day!"

"But how would we get the characters together?" Ana questioned.

Olivia "hmm"'ed and stroked her imaginary beard. She snapped her fingers.

"I've got it!" Olivia declared, pulling out a sticky note. She scribbled on the piece of paper. Then, she read aloud what she had written. "By the almighty power of the sticky notes, I, Olivia, command the characters from the Rise of the Guardians movie to appear, and that we all shall be transported to a world where everyone eats rainbows and drinks glitter!"

Nothing happened.

Olivia's eyes moved from side to side, searching for a change in their surroundings.

"Well, this stinks," Olivia muttered, dropping the frozen look she had adopted earlier.

The supervising teacher's voice came over the microphone, telling the kids in the cafeteria to pack up and go to class.

The two friends organized their stuff back into their bookbags. They gathered their belongings together and began the short trek to their pre-first period classes. Olivia and Ana maneuvered the swarms of middle schoolers, their goal being: get to the orchestra room, where Ana would stop for her first 'class.'

Well, would have.

"Vhere are ve?" A voice with a thick Russian accent boomed out. The two friends spotted a tall man towering above the oblivious kids and adults.

"Ugh, middle school!" Exclaimed an Australian voice. "Filled with teenagers like Frostbite!"

"Hey! What did I do wro-" That voice was cut off.

"The Guardians..." Olivia breathed as another voice piped up, this one with a British touch to it.

"What is this trickery? What are you playing at?"

"We've done nothing, Pitch, and we could ask you the same!" A female retorted to Pitch, the British guy.

Olivia, dragging Ana behind her, shoved through the crowds of middle schoolers to the bickering group ahead.

The pair stopped and stared.

Before them were Pitch Black, Nicholas St. North, Toothiana, Sanderson Mansnoozie, E. Aster Bunnymund, Jack Frost, Jamie Bennett, Cupcake, and their neighborhood friends.

"The sticky notes' powers are as true as Ana foretold!" Olivia exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air.

"Vhat?" North blurted out, breaking the uncertain silence.

"Well, uh, Olivia wrote something on a sticky note, and... now you're here..." Ana trailed off, her mind processing the fact that these people were at her school.

"Oh, I see," said Pitch, dismissively. "You two and your silly little doodles." The Boogeyman rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

"I TOLD you he was watching us," Olivia hissed to Ana.

"So, you two brought us here?" Bunny asked, coming foreward.

"Beast!" Olivia yelled in excitement, but Bunnymund saw it as an objection of terror.

"Hey, I'm just a bunny, mate," he attempted to placate Olivia.

Olivia glanced at Ana, and they laughed, sharing a moment. They both were thinking one thing: 'I thought you were a kangaroo.'

"Oh, sorry, I was just exclaiming in excitement, not because you're the-"

A teacher came up and stared at the girls. The bell had already rung.

"What are you doing? What are elementary school students doing here?" The teacher demanded.

However, the congregation disappeared, leaving the flummoxed educator babbling nonsense and staggering into a wall.

* * *

The first thing everyone saw was the pastel blue sky. Pitch was the first to come to. He sat pulled himself into sitting position and glanced around. The world he now occupied was his nightmare, if he had one. Everything was brightly colored and the environment seemed to radiate some of its own light. Sparkles, glitter, and color were splashed everywhere.

"Graaaaaah!" Olivia bellowed, bolting up.

Pitch turned to look at her. His face was a looming thunderstorm.

"Where are we?" The Nightmare King demanded.

"Uh, we're in... Sparkletopia," Olivia said, making up a name for the new place.

"Wonderful, just wonderful!" The Boogeyman snarled, picking himself up off the spring green grass and brushing off his robes. Black sand came off in showers. Pitch loomed over Olivia, and made as if to draw out a weapon. His demeanor flashed in surprise as his death-scythe-of-fear-inspiring-weirdness malfunctioned and did not appear.

Olivia laughed and questioned, "Having technical difficulties?"

"What is this?" He hissed, his face being first scared and then angry.

"Better watch out for the man-eating gummy bears," Olivia warned. "I hear they REALLY like creepy weirdos for lunch."

"Why can I not summon nightmares to my will?" The Nightmare King wailed. "What happened to my precious nightmares?"

"They DIED," Olivia said, her eyes widening comically and a somewhat constipated expression crossing her face.

Pitch looked at her, without a word, his face like a smacked bottom. In this world, he was even more powerless than in the other.

Ana took that opportunity to smack her hand on Pitch's foot, like an alarm clock. The girl growled, "Stupid alarm! Die!"

Olivia shook her friend, coaxing her awake. "Get up, Ana, we're in Sparkletopia!"

Jack sat up nearby, groaning, "What the heck is happening?"

Olivia informed him, "You're in Sparkletopia."

The Guardian rubbed his face, and then surveyed his surroundings. His face woke up, transforming from groggy to wide eyed and gaping. "Uh, North, we have a problem."

"Vwah?" North sputtered, jerking up.

Jack began frantically patting the ground, feeling around for something. "My staff... Where is it?!"

Ana joined in, and the pair scouted the entire area searching for Jack's staff. Meanwhile, Pitch began interrogating Olivia.

"So... Jack's staff goes missing... My powers... GONE. All after YOU brought us here. Therefore, YOU must have taken them!"

"So sue me, then!"

"Where are you hiding my weapons? How can I get them? Where am I? How can I get back? Tell me!"

"No stupid questions, no lies."

"Answer me!"

"Make. Me."

"As soon as we return and I reach full strength, you will have torturous nightmares every night until the end of your days, girl! I will make certain your life is miserable!"

Olivia smirked.

"What do you want from me? What do I have to do to get my powers back?"

"Dance."

Olivia was not able to keep a straight face for an instant after uttering that word. She burst into laughter as Pitch stared frowning at the girl in the giggle fit.

"You are jesting with me, I assume?"

"Yes, but no. That is my condition."

Pitch smiled, as if he expected this. Furthermore, this smile was not pleasant, but imposing.

"I can still kill you without any kind of weaponry. You have ten seconds..."

Olivia smirked.

"Nine... Eight..."

Olivia stood up.

"... Seven... Six... Five..."

Olivia continued smirking, arms crossed.

"... Four... Three... Two!..."

"Baby diaper."

"What?"

"You know what they say: 'The daddy changes the baby diaper!'"

Pitch studied Olivia's face for a moment, processing the message. The Boogeyman glanced around, searching for possible enemies or oncoming newcomers.

Bunnymund and Toothiana were awake. They, too, had joined in the Guardian-Pitch-wide quest for their missing weaponry and tools of trade. Ana and Bunnymund rotated between searching and watching the knocked out kids.

Pitch yelped as Cupcake kicked him from behind.

Olivia laughed and walked away. She would let Pitch attempt to decrypt the meaning of her pointless statement after he ranted to the the girl. It wouldn't hurt him if he didn't know that what she said was only a distraction.

The group gave up the search for their belongings: they had nothing.

"Well," said Pitch. "If I cannot regain my powers, then I will destroy you some other way!"

"If you do that, you will have no way of returning to our world," Olivia shot back.

"And how do we get back?" Jack questioned. The various newcomers to Sparkletopia had migrated into a huddle around Olivia. The girl motioned for Ana to join her, and as her friend did, Olivia began explaining.

"If you want to get back and regain your stuff, I need some sticky notes. Therefore, I suggest we go over that way. It looks like a candy kingdom." Olivia pointed towards the east, away from the soon-to-be setting sun.

The congregation agreed. Pitch frowned, unappealed to be working with his greatest enemies and these two idiotic girls. The kids looked like they were about to galavant off into the fields and start eating or monopolizing the many wonders of this alien location. The Guardians seemed quite undecided and uncertain. Whatever their wishful intentions, the group followed the two friends, who couldn't be happier.

As the Guardians, the kids, Pitch, Olivia, and Ana trekked towards the Candy Kingdom, they were able to learn about the landscape of their new environment. Forests were composed of hard candy trees, undergrowth made from taffy and gum, and animals made of the stuff of gummy bears. Rivers flowed with liquid sparkles and glitter. Mud and dirt were really chocolate. You could eat this place!

Olivia grinned at everything around her, and turned to Ana, who walked beside her. "I feel like Willy Wonka!"

"Really? I feel like Wreck-it-Ralph!"

"Well, then..." Olivia said, but then began to sing, "Come with me, and you'll see a world of pure imagination!"

"Can I eat that?" A blonde boy with glasses asked Olivia, pointing to the broken branch of a peppermint tree.

"I'm sure you CAN," Olivia replied.

"Uh, don't eat that," Jack suggested.

"Oo! Can I eat that?" The same boy continued, this time gesturing to a red colored taffy bush.

"If you do," lied Pitch, playing the role of the overly dramatic older sibling who scares their younger siblings. "You're stomach will... _explode._"

"Uh, I don't wanna eat that!" The kid said, his voice somewhat whiny.

"Pff, quit lying to kids, Pitch," Olivia snorted. Pitch's expression dial changed to the angry setting.

"Are we there yet?" Another kid, Claude, whined.

"I don't know. Consult another person," Olivia suggested.

Claude rotated to his brother beside him. "Are we there yet?"

"Seriously, man? If she doesn't know, neither do I!" Caleb groaned.

"All of you, shut up!" Pitch hissed, turning on the group.

"Hey, Pitch," Olivia interrupted. "Why don't you go join the My Little Pony fan club and get lost?"

Snickers spread through the crowd, while Pitch sneered, "Have your fun now, girl!"

Olivia rolled her eyes. Ana drifted closer to Olivia and whispered, "When we get the the Candy Kingdom, can we throw him in the dungeon?"

"Have at it!"

* * *

Fanfare. Great amounts of fanfare. That was what the flummoxed crowd of foreigners met when they entered the gates of the Candy Kingdom. They even were admitted through the gates without a single, "Who goes there?"

"Is it just me, or is this place getting stranger as we go?" Jack questioned Olivia in a side mutter.

"Well, considering you have to put up with a dress-wearing Boogeyman who has a British dialect, I would think nothing could weird you out," Olivia retorted.

"Yeah, you probably would think that," Jack agreed.

Olivia gave him a friendly smirk. "Exactly."

The townsfolk cheered and fangirled over the arrival of the newcomers. A coach barreled down the candy cobblestone path, nearly making pancakes of members of the crowd. The vehicle swerved to a halt and the door almost flew off its hinges. A fat little man popped out of the coach, which was drawn by gummy horses and was made of cake and cookies. The man wore a pink and purple outfit, consisting of a waistcoat and tights. Olivia reflected that he appeared to have come from colonial sugar land.

"The queen has arrived! All hail Queen Ana!" The midget squeeked. As the townsfolk neeled, he noticed the newcomers were not doing so, as well as Olivia. "The High General has returned the queen to us!"

The crowd cheered and the Guardians, Pitch, and the children were bemused. Ana gasped in shock, "I'm your queen!?"

Olivia ejaculated, "I'M THE HIGH GENERAL OH MY STARCLAN SOMEONE PINCH ME HARD EXCEPT PITCH YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO RUIN MY MOMENT OF AWESOMENESS HOLY STARCLAN!"

Jack, who was nearby to the ranting girl leaned over and pinched her arm. Olivia yelped, but then said, "Thanks."

"No problem," The Sprite laughed.

"Who, my good queen, are your other compainions?" The small man broached, glancing around at the strange congregation.

"These are... uh... guests of me..." Ana stuttered, confusion and stage fright getting the best of her.

"Welcome to Sugaria, guests from afar! Where in Sparletopia are you from?" The munchkin addressed them with a swooping bow.

"Uh, we're from the...uh... Butterfly District," Bunnymund lied.

"Are you sure?" The man said, somewhat confused. He gestured to Pitch. "This fellow over here seems to be from-" Then, the jolly little man clamped his mouth shut, as if what he was about to say was forbidden.

"Perhaps," replied the Boogeyman, as if he knew what the man was hinting, eternally delighting in the fear rolling off of him in waves.

The elfin man simply nodded and returned his attention to Ana. "Come, Your Highness. The remainder of your court longs for your presense and wisdom. We have lost much of our hope. High General Olivia, please escort your companions to the castle, unless Her Highness wishes otherwise."

"The castle's fine with me," Ana said. "But shouldn't Olivia and the others come with us?"

"Speed is my objective, M'lady, but your word is law. I will have to only take a few with us," he replied.

"Take the kids. They're tired from the long walk here. I can go with everybody else," Ana commanded.

"As-as you wish..." The man stuttered. He began to round up Jamie, Sophie, Cupcake, Claude, Caleb, Monty, and Pippa ultimately loading them into the coach. Toothiana offered to fly with them, just in case (the Guardians' reasoning being that they couldn't exactly trust the people of this strange land).

The reaminder of the group continued trekking to the palace.

To celebrate the arrival of Queen Ana and High General Olivia, as well as their company, the palace began preparing a feast. However, dull and cliquè the event _might_ have been, it was... MOST CERTAINLY NOT!

Prior to the event, attendants, including the little fat man they met earlier, Mr. Gingerbread-Gumdrop, escorted the various newcomer to their rooms, prepared specifically to their prefrences. The wardrobes and closets had been lined with clothes that fit the occupants down to the last stitch, but the style was in Sugarian fashion. Color schemes focused on the bright colors found in the natural world, like pink, purple, blue, green, and yellow. However, in special cases, such as Olivia, more tomboy/boyish colors were present. In Olivia's instance, the main color was a bright yet dark red. Black, gold, and dark blue and green made several appearances in outfits and articles of clothing.

Dinner was held in the a comfortable hall, not too grand, but not informal, by royal standards. Ana sat at the head of the table with Olivia to her right and North to her left. The queen had exchanged her street clothes for one of the dresses in her closet and a crown. The dress had flowing loose sleeves and a spiral pattern along the split layers of the skirt. The High General smirked at the fact that she had also exchanged her outfit- going from jeans and a t-shirt to body fitting jeans, imposing, short, black boots, and a red tank top with thick straps.

The others came in in a clump, talking excitedly about the alien world. Sandy floated down beside North. Pitch stormed foreward and sat beside Sandy, and, before he realized what he had done, Jack trapped him in on his other side. The Nightmare King's eyes lowered to slits. Across from them, Jamie and Sophie claimed the two seats beside Olivia's. Bunnymund emerged from a hole in the ground and took the seat next to Sophie. Caleb and Claude hurried to get a seat next to the warrior, and Tooth fluttered in to find a seat beside them. Pippa and Monty took the last two seats- Monty at the other end of the table and Pippa on the unoccupied side of Jack. Cupcake took the chair beside Pippa.

Waiters and waitresses brought out mountainous dishes of rainbows and glitter, bottles of glitter, and liquid glitter champangne for adults and liquid glitter juice for minors. The entire table gaped at the course. Olivia and Ana turned to each other in awed slow motion, simultaneously, grins plastered all over their faces. Sophie giggled and clapped her hands together, chanting, "Pretty, pretty, rainbow!" Jamie, Caleb, Claude, Monty, and Pippa looked at it doubtfully. Cupcake beheld the sight as if it were holy and precious. The Guardians were just plain confused. Pitch was utterly revolted to the point beyond descriptively possible.

"I refuse to eat this!" Pitch declared.

"Pitch, you will eat the rainbow and like it!" Olivia yelled, fists pumping up and down.

Pitch lept to his feet, sending his chair tumbling to the floor. Jack, who had begun to shred his rainbow and sample it, swivelled his eyes to give Pitch a look. Sandy frowned awkwardly.

"As Queen of Sparkletopia, I declare Pitch must do the hokey pokey as an apology to Olivia... and Jack and Sandy... and everyone else!" Ana shouted.

"I don't have to do ANTHING, _Your Highness,_" the Nightmare King spat. He then picked the chair up and threw himself down on it, arms crossed.

Under the table, Jack kicked Pitch in the shin. The Boogeyman yelled, "Ow! Jack, you insolent slug! Don't you dare do that again!"

Of course, Jack kicked him again, harder, knowing Pitch's powers were of no use to the man, due to them being stolen or withheld from him. Pitch's face contorted into a rageful storm, capable of killing puppies and wilting flowers.

"I HATE YOU ALL!" He roared.

"Just eat your rainbow, dude," Olivia said, rolling her eyes. "You're not yourself when you're hungry."

Ana laughed, knowing what Olivia refrenced, but Pitch shot his killer death glare down towards their end of the table.

Sophie and Jamie's eyes widened in alarm. Pitch grinned. "Ah, fear-"

"I DARE YOU TO SPEAK THE WORD 'HOMEWORK,' PITCH, I. DARE. YOU." Olivia whisper-yelled.

The Boogeyman wore an uncertain face.

"This is great," Jack butted in, leaning back. "I feel like one of those people on reality T.V. with everyone yelling at each other."

"How do you know what reality TV is, Jack?" Olivia asked.

"I saw it through someone's window," he explained.

"This is boring!" Caleb moaned, faceplanting into his food.

"Can we do something else?" Claude asked.

"I wanna ride a unicorn!" Cupcake cheered.

"How about some real food?" Bunnymund suggested. "Like carrots?"

"In this world, this is real food," Ana retorted.

"Oh, go suck an egg, Rabbit," Pitch sneered.

"You're quoting yourself!" Olivia exclaimed. Ana mused, "Can you do that?"

"Apparently," Jack responded.

"Hey, Pitch, I got a new quote for you," Olivia said. Something was coming. "Drink your glitter and shut up."

"Oh, thank you, dear," Pitch said, and then returned his focus to Bunnymund. "Drink your glitter and shut up."

Olivia's expression bent to a nasty glare. "Hey! I meant for you to drink your glitter and shut up, peasant!"

Pitch sneered at her. "Why don't you just sit in time out until you can act like an adult?"

"What if I call your mother? I'm sure she'll gladly come and give you a spanking!" Olivia hissed.

"Give him a spanking?" Claude laughed. The others kids snickered at the thought. Olivia smirked.

"That's so funny!" Pippa giggled.

"You DARE laugh at ME?" The Boogeyman monologed. "I am Pitch, the Nightmare King and the Boogeyman-!"

"You know," Olivia interrupted. "I fail to see why you pride yourself in being the 'Boogeyman.' Honestly, it sounds like you have trouble with keeping your nose clean or something. And, considering your British accent... Well, let's just say the British say 'bogy' instead of 'booger.'"

The children were not the only ones to crack up. Jack, Ana, Olivia, and Sandy laughed out loud, too (or silently). Even the other adults had a hard time remaining civil and polite.

Pitch glared at everyone laughing, his utter frustration boiling up into a deathly storm. Hatred transformed into dispair. The Nightmare King dropped his head into his hands. Thoughts raced through his head. _Idiots! Idiots! Why was I destined to be hindered by idiots?! Why can I not defeat those idiotic fools?!_

"Just, stop," he said. Not in a scream, or a roar, or a sneer, or a snarl. "I need some air."

Pitch left.

Dinner continued on, the remaining participants chatted and ate their fill. After the main course of rainbows and glitter, dessert was presented. This included ice cream "from the mountains of the wild Frozen Zone." A lively discussion about this location, and others of this world, sprang up.

The High General, Olivia, requested another bowl of the ice cream and excused herself. The girl took the dish and a spoon with her, searching for Pitch's room. She decided upon the closed door, that when she subtly tried the handle, found it was locked, and had a cheerful "Please, do not disturb!" hanger dangling from the handle. Olivia rapped on the dark blue door.

"Can't you read?!" Pitch shouted.

"I brought you dessert!... And, no, I cannot read; I was hoping you would teach me!" Olivia's eyes rolled skyward.

Silence. The door's lock clicked and the door flew open. "You! I thought you would come back to irritate me further!" The Boogeyman's eyes flashed.

"I just brought you ice cream. Seriously, lighten up a bit." Olivia rolled her eyes, grabbed his hand, transferred the dish to it, and turned away. The Nightmare King stared after her.

**There will probably be no major updates considering the whole is typed up and I am loading it as we speak! Yay! My major writer's flaw solved!**


	2. Thundering Creampuffs!

Pitch came bursting into Ana's room in early hours of the morning.

"Wake up, Your Highness!" the man barked. "I have important business to discuss with you!"

Ana shrieked, and she jumped in alarm from sleep. "Who ever it is is gonna be..."

Pitch waited, arms crossed for Ana to awake and pay close attention. The Nightmare King asked, "Are you listening? This is important. I have a task for you."

"You woke me me up at... three in the morning! And I'm Queen of Sparkletopia. Why should I help you?"

"Because, if you don't, I shall kill all your friends. One. By. One," Pitch hissed in delight.

"If you do, I'll throw you in the dungeon!" Ana warned, although a tiny bit less bravely than she would have liked. But who wouldn't when a creepy weirdo in a dress bursts into your room at three a.m., demanding you do something for him?

"In this palace?" Pitch laughed. "Not likely!"

Olivia, who was woken up by Ana, crept out into the hallway. The High General was a light sleeper and had the room adjacent to the Queen's, so she was in range to the conversation.

"So, the Great Pitch, King of Nightmares, decides to threaten the Queen of Sparkletopia, who's friend is the High General, me, who does not like him at all and is itching to irritate him. Hm, not very smart are we?" Olivia interrupted, leaning against the gaping doorway.

Pitch turned on her, his face evident of the hatred.

"It is not wise for YOU to insult ME!" the Boogeyman hissed.

"Put a cork in it, Booger. Or a tissue. Whichever you prefer," Olivia dismissed him.

"Olivia, it's okay," Ana assured her. "I don't mind helping him, just as long as he's nice about it."

"I do not have to be nice about anything! I am-" Pitch ranted.

"Shh!" The High General shushed him. "Some people need sleep, not that you would know!"

"Can't this wait until morning, you two, though?" Ana yawned.

"Of course!" Olivia exclaimed, and then turned to Pitch. "Please, go away. Honestly, get a sense of what boundaries are! People need a little privacy."

"See you in the morning," Ana mumbled, hobbling back into her bed.

Olivia stood by, arms crossed, waiting for Pitch to leave. The Nightmare King snarled, "You had no right to interfere with my plans! I must leave as soon as possible!"

"Not until the morning," Olivia retorted. "Trust me, Ana needs to wake up first, and now is not the best time. Go back to plotting or whatever you were doing." She flapped her hand toward the other end of the hallway.

Pitch stared at the High General for a moment, but then turned and strode off.

Olivia allowed herself a small half-smirk. Not bad. Not bad at all.

* * *

"We, apparently, have many important matters to discuss!" Ana declared, slipping into the British dialect she and Olivia turned to by unconscious habit when they mocked Pitch or told their devious schemes.

Tooth, North, Bunnymund, Jack, Sandy, Pitch, Olivia, and, of course, Ana sat among the chairs around the dining table in use previously by the entire group at breakfast. The kids had set off after polishing of several rainbow/glitter/sparkle/etc. related food stuffs to go off to the stables. Cupcake especially was near to bursting when she caught wind that many unicorns were housed in the stables.

"I wish to know what this fear-instilling land mentioned by Mr. Gingerbread-Gumdrop is!" Pitch said, and made as if to continue, and would have if Olivia had not started sniggering.

"Sorry!" She apologized. "Seeing you say that is just weird!"

Jack bit his lip, trying no to join the High General in laughing.

"_Moving on._ I request that Ana-" the Boogeyman nodded and gestured to the queen. "-equip me to go to this place."

The Nightmare King, who had stood up to speak, sat in his chair. No emotion showed on his face, except maybe concentration.

"Um, I will, but... How can I trust you not to reek havoc on my lands and the entire world?" Ana inquired.

"You can't," Pitch said, knowing there was no point in telling a lie. "But, if it makes you and the Guardians feel any better, I HAVE lost my powers, remember?"

Ana mulled it over in her mind, the will to let him go ahead tugged at her consciousness, but the even greater desire to just throw him in the dungeon and get it over with held firm. An idea suggested something to her. Besides, it would test how much going meant to Pitch, as well as whether or not he was going to cause mischief and damage.

"I will let you go... however, I will require my High General, Olivia, to escort you there," Ana decreed eventually.

"Very well, as long as she will remain civil, I shall allow her to keep me in line," Pitch agreed with a certain air that suggested, in the event the High General was not able to remain civil, he would abandon her on the cliff of a desolate, mountainous region.

"Vhere are you trying to go?" North broached.

"I already told you!" Pitch snapped. "Where ever that snivelling idiot that meet us at the gate was oh so unwilling to utter the name of!"

"You mean Mr. Gingerbread-Gumdrop?" Bunnymund corrected.

"Whatever," the Boogeyman muttered.

"Where was he not talking about?" Jack asked.

"Are you discussing... the..." the little man, Gingerbread-Gumdrop interrupted, trailing off in horror. His already squeaky voice dropped to a squealing whisper. "... The Darklands?"

"How uncreative," Olivia remarked.

"How wonderful," Pitch breathed. "Yes, I wish to go there."

"You can't trust him going there, Ana," Tooth warned. "Even with Olivia monitoring him, he will regain his powers and destroy everything!"

The Nightmare King's face took on a nasty half grin, half glare. "And YOU will stop me?"

"I say, we let him go," Olivia declared. "And I'll go with him."

"No! It's too dangerous!" North refuted her.

"Hear me out," Olivia protested. "If we allow him to go somewhere in his element, then he, in turn, must remain neutral in this planet." The High General turnd to Pitch. "Then, and only then, will we set you on your own."

Pitch cackled in laughter. "I will go whether you want me to or not, my dear! You-"

"Then you'll be stuck in a brightly colored cell for the rest of your days, eating rainbows and glitter!" Ana pointed out.

"I'm giving you a chance," Olivia continued. "We all are, on this one. Let's set aside the fact that we hate each other and commit random acts of kindness towards each other."

"Random acts of kindness?" Bunnymund echoed. "Why should we be kind to him?" The Pooka shot a look at Pitch.

Sandy lept to his feet, floating up to hover above the table. He motioned to Olivia and then to Pitch. A sequence of backpacks and riders on horses materialized over his head.

"Sandy?" North said.

"So... You think they should go?" Tooth questioned the little, golden man. Sandy nodded.

"Then it's settled," Ana confirmed. "They leave immediately."

* * *

Pitch and Olivia, led by the stable hand, Mathew, browsed the vast array of equestrians in the stable. The selections were brightly colored ponies, winged pegasi, and unicorns. The types of these creatures ranged from girly to frilly to beautiful. None of them quite, however, matched the tastes of the Nightmare King.

"Are there any nightmares to ride?" Pitch inquired Mathew.

"Um, no," the stable hand replied in his slow, nasally voice. "But there IS the High General's stallion, Thunder."

"Don't even think about it," Olivia whispered to Pitch, who had taken on a slightly interested expression.

"Can you even ride a horse of any kind?" The Boogeyman interrogated.

"Of course, sort of," the High General responded. Mathew stopped at a door and removed a huge ring of keys from his belt. Hand shaking, he unlocked the door, warning the pair to stay out of range. When the lock clicked, the animal inside bashed out, neighing in rage. A massive black stallion with electric teal streaks in its mane and tail reared around the area, causing Mathew to cower down.

Pitch stepped foreward, palms raised, cooing, "Whoa! Easy, easy, boy. Shhhh, that's it."

The horse had the stir crazy gleam in its eye, but ceased to buck and thrash around. Pitch placed one hand on the Thunder and beckoned Olivia foreward. The girl came eagarly, yet calmly. She had experience with animals. The High General whispered, "Hello there, beautiful," to the horse and approached it, palms up.

Olivia started stroking the stallion, beginning with his face and working her way to his mane. Thunder nuzzled Olivia as an old friend, forgetting Pitch.

"I fail to see how you should ride him, and not I," the Nightmare King said.

"He treats me like a trusted friend," Olivia explained. "But if you're so intent on riding him, you can hop on the back."

"I prefer to be the one driving," Pitch said.

Mathew finally stirred, and rose, shaking, to his feet. "I-I have one unicorn that you could ride, sir," he stuttered. The stable boy looked ready to drop to his knees and worship Pitch.

"If you must," the Nightmare King said, waving his hand dimissively.

Mathew scurried off around the corner, leaving the two behind. Pitch turned to Olivia and Thunder, annoyed that this girl would get a horse such as that, while he would have to ride a unicorn! The gall!

Mathew returned with a sparkling, large unicorn with a fluffy mane and tail.

"Hey, hey, lay off, you imbecile! I thought I told you, those other idiots forgot my coffee... AGAIN!" The unicorn growled, jerking away from Mathew. The unicorn's voice had a New Jersey dialect.

"Woah, cool accent, bro!" Olivia exclaimed.

"Hey, tanks, sweetheart," the unicorn reciprocated.

"This is Sir Creampuff," Mathew said, leading the irritated steed to Pitch. "He's the only horse, pegasus, or unicorn that would be suitable for you."

"Why do I have to put up with tat guoy?" Sir Creampuff demanded, studying Pitch with disgust. "And why is he wearin' a dress?!"

"It's a robe," the Nightmare King corrected him, rolling his eyes. "I expect you to respect me... fear me!"

"You have gotta be kiddin' me," Creampuff said, looking at Pitch like the man had just told him the lamest joke of all time. The unicorn turned to Olivia and Thunder. "Who is this guoy?"

"I am Pitch Black, King of Nightmares and the Boogeyman," Pitch introduced himself, at a bit of a sneer.

"Are we going to just sit here and sneer at each other or do you feel like actually going?" Olivia asked.

"Whatever," Pitch said. He began saddling Sir Creampuff up.

Olivia, with help from Mathew, also saddled up Thunder, tossing and securing packs of supplies over and to the large, black horse. The High General clambered up a stool and swung a leg over Thunder. Recalling the horse back riding lessons she had once taken several years back, she adjusted herself into the proper position and stirred Thunder into a brisk trot out of the stables.

Meanwhile, Pitch was experiencing some control issues with Creampuff.

"Let's go, you great beast," the Boogeyman commanded, attempting to spur the unicorn to action.

"Say the magic ward," Creampuff countered.

"Be off, or I shall kick you," Pitch commanded.

"You're already doin' tat," Creampuff snapped. "Now, say please, or The High General will leave you behind."

"Please," Pitch growled through gritted teeth.

"And they're off!" Creampuff ejaculated, galloping through the stables and into the streets. The unicorn flew through the kingdom, sending several citizens diving for cover and Pitch bouncing madly. The Nightmare King threw himself himself onto Creampuff's neck, allowing for less jumbled riding.

Creampuff slowed to a trot and finally a halt at the gates, where Olivia and Thunder idled.

"Oh, joy, the slowpokes bothered to show up," Olivia announced, her voice dripping with annoyance.

"Well, perhaps if you allowed me to ride the horse that cannot talk back, I would have been able to be here faster," Pitch retorted.

"Are you two enemies, friends, or an old, married couple?" Creampuff broached.

"Euh, that's the most disgusting thought anyone's every put in my head all day," Olivia exclaimed.

"So, enemies?" Creampuff guessed.

"Precisely," Pitch said.

"So, why are you goin' off into the blue togetha?" Creampuff continued.

"I am going to the Darklands," Pitch explained, spurring Creampuff along, but he did not move. An expression of terror descended upon the unicorn's face.

"Move," the Nightmare King ordered, and Creampuff stumbled off, silent as a classroom during exams.

The group continued off in silence at a steady trot. Olivia did not mind the lack of dialog, because it gave her time to think. However, these thoughts brought up a question.

"Why DO you want to go to the Darklands, besides the obvious fact that you don't exactly fit it well in this sparkly land?"

"I believe that I shall be able to regain my powers there," Pitch explained. The silence continued.

Olivia reviewed her mental checklist again for the heck of it. She had brought three spare outfits (two were the same to the one she wore now and at dinner last night, the other consisted of black leggings and a black tank top (for stealth)), enough provisions to last them several weeks, various weaponry, including bows, arrows, swords, knives, rainbow whips, knock out glitter, and a scythe, which Pitch carried, a pack, and a hammock. Pitch carried some of the weapons, provisions, and the hammock.

"We're going on an adventure!" Olivia ejaculated, referring to the Hobbit movie and using a higher, British tone. Pitch rolled his eyes and spurred Creampuff along at a bit faster rate.

The journey remained uneventful, as a drive to a vacation location has the infamy of. It also had the false sense of excitement the actual vacation drive held.

"So-o," Olivia began, using her trademark conversation starter.

"Allow me to stop you right there," the Nightmare King interjected.

Olivia slumped down a couple inches, her expression falling in annoyance. "You know, for a guy who feels so alone in the universe, you would think you would want to talk to people for once."

"Not you," Pitch shot back. "And I'm not alone in the universe! What do you take me for?"

Olivia straightened up, cheerful. "Oh, good, so you just don't want to talk to me! I see."

"You're doin' it anyways," Creampuff piped up.

Pitch ignored the pair, his eyes set into the distance.

The crowd continued through the candy forests. The day was pleasant, filled with warm sunshine and dulcet birdsong. It seemed like the perfect day in any world for taking a joyride across the country side.

"So when we get to the Darklands, what are we gonna do?" Olivia asked.

"You can go back to those weirdo Guardians and your friend. I plan to return to our world."

"Hate to break it to ya, Mister, but this is ou' world," Creampuff said.

"No, this girl here brought us all here!" Pitch disagreed.

"Whateva," Creampuff snorted. "Anyways, we need to make a pitstop soon. Snack time's comin' for me and lunch for you two. Plus, I've gotta use the little unicorn's room."

"We do not rest until noon," Pitch declared. "We can stop for a short while, but then we must continue to move."

Creampuff trotted along, mumbling about having give up his afternoon nap to haul this lazy dweeb across the country. The clop of hooves and the chirping of birds occupied the air. The travellers continued on beyond the meadow and into the dappled forest. Moss, mushrooms, and other more normal things populated the floor, but kept the overall theme of Sparkletopia; it was almost enchanted forest-like.

"Uh, Pitchy Poo, I hate to break it to ya, buuuut... This place is giving me that 'evil-concealed-by-cuteness' vibe," Olivia said.

"What? Did I just hear you say, "Pitchy Poo?" Pitch inquired, turning to the girl.

"Yeah, get used to it. It's my new nickname for you," Olivia shot back, glancing around, glaring at squirrels who looked dangerous and staring after suspicious tweety birds.

"You are obviously uneasy about this place," Pitch commented. "Should I hold your hand? Would that make you feel better?"

"No, just watch out. My internal knowing is usually correct," Olivia warned.

"We will wait and see."

It was when Pitch refocued his attention to the path ahead that that a fluffy squirrel attacked his face.

"Arrg, get off!" The Boogeyman roared, clawing at the small creature.

"Nuts!Nuts!Nuts!Nuts!Nuts!" The squirrel chanted in a high pitched squeal. "Nuts!Nuts!Nuts!Nuts!Nuts!"

Pitch ripped the animal from his stormy face and hurled it into the bush.

Olivia breathed in, doing anything to keep from doing the most stupid thing to do: laugh. Pitch swivelled around to face her.

"If a single person gains knowledge of this event, you-" the Nightmare King threatened.

"No need," the High General interrupted. "If you don't want anyone to know, I respect that. We all are intitled to our privacy."

Pitch barked single, harsh laugh. "You insult my name and make a fool of me, and turn around and turn a blind eye to a very embarrassing matter of mine? I knew you were irritating, but a hypocrite? I am disappointed!"

"I believe you make a fool of yourself. And as for me being a hypocrite, my motives are not clear to any but myself," Olivia said. "And by the way, not to be cliquè, but I told you so."

The silence that followed as they manuvered the Forest of Evil Squirrels had a muggy, damp feel to it, as before an approaching storm. Noon, as it appeared, was running late, or perhaps had went off and forgotten his appointment with the travellers. Creampuff worked up on complaints, first about the conditions of the journey, and then on to the fact that the sun was too bright. Pitch constantly interjected snide commentary, or simply told the unicorn to shut up. Olivia had dropped out of the situation and zoned out. However, the High General snapped when Pitch and Sir Creampuff resorted to verbal threats of physical action.

"Okay, can we please stop hating each other? Please?" Olivia begged. "And I think stopping will help decrease grumpiness."

Pitch and Creampuff stared at Olivia like she had been explaining a complex math concept to them.

"Of course, my dear," Pitch said, mockingly. Then, the man steered Creampuff towards a glade in the middle of the forest. Olivia followed in relief. Olivia and Pitch dismounted and Pitch relieved Thunder and Sir Creampuff of the baggage. As he did so, Olivia rummaged through the supplies until she found a stash of preserved rainbow strips. Taking a knife, the High General slit open the package, aiming to keep as much of the packaging intact as she could. The girl removed half the rainbows and folded the empty packaging over to cover up the hole. Olivia distributed the food to the others and replaced the remaining strips in the food supply pack for later.

The group munched on the chewy strips of rainbow in steamy silence. Only Thunder radiated any kind of positive energy. Ana back in Sugaria could have felt the tension between Pitch and Creampuff and the soggy attitude of Olivia. The journey predicted to be as rewarding and as wonderful as getting dunked in ice cold mud-water in the middle of winter.


	3. Art Calls and Pit Stops

Queen Ana of Sparkletopia slumped in a chair overlooking the east side of the vast kingdom, her hand holding up her face. With Olivia and Pitch gone, she had no best bud to spread mischief with or villain to annoy. Sure, there were the Guardians and Jamie and his friends, but it didn't seem right that Olivia wasn't there to meet them FINALLY.

Jack Frost popped up into the view of window with a curious face on. The pesky Spirit of Winter had been following Ana all day, trying to cheer her up in his own somewhat irritating fashion.

Ana shrieked as he broached, "Sooo... Wanna play?"

"Jack!" Ana protested, laughing. "I told you I might later!"

Jack swung up onto on the jutting ledge of the window, causing Ana to lean back. "But you said that HOURS ago! Don't you want to have a little fun?"

"Yeah, but..."

"C'mon! You're acting all depressed! You sure you're okay?"

"I miss Olivia."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Maybe... Wait, stay here!"

The Guardian lept down from the window and scrambled down the side of the castle, leaving Ana confused yet less sad.

Jack returned a few minutes later, but burst into the room through the door. Behind him, Jamie bounced in. The pair wore bright, clean pharmacists' coats over their normal clothes, while Jamie carried a clipboard.

"Miss Ana," Jack began. "We are here to treat you for your illness. Could you shed some light on your situation?"

Ana laughed, sputtering "Jack, Jamie, what are you doing?"

"That's Mr. Doctor Frost to you," Jack snapped. "And this here is my assistant, Professor Bennett."

"Hello," Jamie greeted the queen in his attempt at a deep, man's voice. "Nice to meet you." The boy offered his hand, which Ana shook.

"Uh, Professor Bennett, your mustache?" Mr. Doctor Frost hissed to the brown haired boy.

Jamie glanced at him, eyes flashing, before digging into his pocket, removing a fake mustache, and applying it to above his upper lip. Jamie grinned at Jack, who returned his attention to Ana.

Starting up a pacing movement across the floor with his arms behind his back, Jack began his interrogation of Ana.

"Have you had any troubles eating, breathing, or using... uh, the restroom?" He cringed, trying to keep as un-awkward as possible.

"Um, nooo," Ana replied.

Jamie scribbled onto some paper on his clipboard.

"Have you been eating and exercising well?" Jack continued.

"I guess, I mean this is Sparkletopia..."

More scribbling.

"How do you feel?"

"Right now?"

"The whole day."

"Sad, mostly, because I miss Olivia."

"Most interesting..."

The scratch of pencil continuously flowed onto the paper.

"Miss Ana, I believe I have a diagnosis. You are suffering from Miss-My-Friend-Itis," Jack declared after stroking his imaginary beard for a few moments. "Professor Jamie, write Miss Ana here a prescription for going outside and playing."

"Yes, sir!" Jamie said, procuring a second sheet of paper and filling out the desired form. Ripping out it out the clipboard, the boy extended it to the queen.

Ana accepted the slip from Jamie and stood up, grinning.

"What do you guys want to do next?"

* * *

"Looks dangerous," Olivia commented, as she, Pitch, Sir Creampuff, and Thunder looked on at the craggy peaks looming a few hundred meters away. They continued riding along, faced with the task of passing a mountain range. "Which do you think would be quicker: going straight through the pass or going around?"

"Through it, of course," Pitch responded. The Nightmare King scouted out the best possible course to continue on through. His eyes landed on a possible route.

Pitch steered Creampuff around, blocking Thunder and Olivia. "We make our way to the foot of the mountain, find shelter, and camp for the night," the Boogeyman instructed.

"I thought you would never say so," Creampuff sighed, as if they had already settled in, safe and sound, for the night.

Pitch rolled his eyes, and manuvered the unicorn around again, taking the lead one more.

The travellers reached the base of the mountain as the sun began to slink towards setting. They settled in a copse of trees out of the way of most possible paths of other migrating creatures. The riders unpacked and unsaddled the beasts, setting them off to graze, eat provided food, or settle down to sleep. Olivia selected a spot covered in moss and removed debris and rocks from the area. After laying out her roll, she joined Pitch for a supper of rainbows and glitter. Not much was said, only plans for tomorrow and polite inquiries of what the group was to do when the Darklands were reached. Olivia had given up on conversing with the Nightmare King earlier that afternoon- for the day. Besides, the High General was ready for bed. Sleep closed in on her eyes.

"Uh," Olivia moaned. "I'm tired. 'Night."

The girl stood up and returned to her spot, ready to embrace sleep.

Pitch, who stood, staring off into the mountains, whispered in his own mocking, sickly sweet fashion, "Sweet dreams."

If Olivia's eyeballs had been wet enough, she would have rolled them.

The High General unzipped her sleeping bag and crawled into its soon to be warm embrace. The head had a pillow-like attachment that kept her head propped up and her hair free of a collecting half the forest floor as she slept. Olivia snuggled down into the bag, hoping her body heat would not turn the interior into something too stuffy. Therefore, she left it slightly unzipped.

Olivia was so sure she would have closed her eyes and then find it was morning, but her consciousness held for a few moments more. The girl tugged at her braid. Did Pitch mean he planned to try to cause her to have bad dreams?

"Well, good luck with that," Olivia murmurred so only she could hear.

As her eyes slid shut, she watched Pitch, who eventually turned to watch her.

* * *

Olivia became aware of the real world. Her eyes were still closed, and she was still in sleep mode, but she was close to waking. The remnants of the night were being dissolved into the sunlight of dawn. Of the smattering of clouds drifting like a glacier through the sky, only the ones closest to the sun burned in colors of Eos. Olivia kept her eyes closed and enjoyed imagining she was going to open her eyes to find she had gone to some other, Pitch-less, magical, far away land of wonder. Like Narnia.

The High General's moment of false pleasure was distorted by the universally hated Shake of Waking Someone Up. Olivia recoiled from the touch in surprise, swatting at the unidentified hand in defense.

"Wake up, girl, we have a mountain to climb!" Pitch snapped, a flare of rage bursting within him at being smacked. "And stop flailing around like that. You should not hit me."

Olivia scowled at Pitch's continual orders of fearing him. That was not how she operated! The High General was contemptous of anyone who thought they were better than everyone else. Having the will do be the best you can be is one thing, but to strut your stuff all the time or glare down your nose at others was unexceptable.

Olivia pushed herself up onto her hands and manuvered into a sitting position. Rubbing Dreamsand from her eyes and stretching, she pulled her mind out of sleep. The girl wriggled out of her sleeping bag and thudded over to Pitch, who had gone to rumage through the packs for breakfast. The Nightmare King handed the remaining preserved rainbows to Olivia ordering her to "Eat quickly; there is much to do."

Leaving her to her own devices, Pitch organized their gear and such and loaded his share onto Sir Creampuff, who appeared ready to collapse. The unicorn had already been saddled up and was ready to continue on.

Olivia's horse, Thunder, idling a few feet away, nibbled at plant life or other edible consistencies in horse diet found in the environment. Gulping down her breakfast, Olivia sauntered over to the black horse.

"Good morning, Thunder," she chirped to the animal.

The horse looked up in response, adding a whinny.

Thunder walked over to the High General, knowing it was time again to be resaddled. Olivia led him to Pitch. She felt awkwardness course though her. The girl planned to ask him to make sure she was doing it right, but decided to ask during or after loading Thunder up for the journey. She began with most obvious thing: the saddle. After placing a protective cover over Thunder, she hauled the saddle up onto the horse's back. Knowing where to begin gave her confidence, as she was concerned about not remembering how to prepare a horse for riding.

"Let me help," Pitch offered from behind, causing the concentrating girl to jump and whirl around.

"Uh, okay," Olivia agreed. The Nightmare King began running through the proper way to go about doing this, as well as jogging the High General's memory.

When they finished and Olivia was preparing to mount Thunder, Pitch said, "I'll help you up," and grasped Olivia around the waist.

The girl shrieked in alarm, collapsing to the side. The Boogeyman exhaled in impatience.

"Honestly, I thought you were tougher than this. I have done nothing to hurt you," he sighed. A brief spurt of silence lingered before he added with pleasure, "Although... Your fear is quite lovely..."

Olivia considered smashing his toes in, the insensitive jerk! "I have never liked people I don't trust touching me or coming too close," she snapped.

"My deepest apologies," Pitch said with fake sincerity, placing a hand on his chest and dipping his head towards her. The second time, Olivia allowed Pitch to help hoist her onto Thunder.

After the High General arranged herself into the saddle, reigns in hands, she turned to the Boogeyman. He smirked at her. "Ready?"

"To smack you? Why, yes, yes I am," Olivia replied, using the same fake tone atitude Pitch had used previously and turned foreward, her face a blissful facade.

"Oh, feisty, arn't we?" Pitch remarked.

"Drink your glitter and shut up," Olivia growled back.

The Nightmare King laughed, tilting his head and wagging his pointer finger. "Not very nice! Be careful!"

"You too!" Olivia shouted back. "I think the closer we get to the Darklands the more angry squirrels there'll be!"

As she ranted, Pitch had gone over to Sir Creampuff and mounted his ride, smirking.

* * *

Ana, Pippa, Cupcake, Sophie, and Tooth watched as Bunnymund applied a slow, smooth brush stroke to an giant egg sculpture. The warrior had been out in the palace courtyard, working on art and attracted a crowd of curious onlookers. Among those, Jack, Jamie, and Claude had left when Caleb had rushed over, asking for the guys to go play in the barracks with North.

Besides the egg, several smaller versions (practice and testing designs) and paintings lay around. Ana had asked to have a certain picture. It was of her.

"What's this?" She had questioned Bunnymund.

"Ah, just a little random painting. You can have if you like," he responded, pleased at her approval of his work.

"Really? You mean it?!"

"'Course! Take it!"

"Thanks, Bunny!"

And thus, they watched his work. Ana, naturally, was drawn to this show, for she was an artist. She loved doodling and sketching, particulary on sticky notes. The queen itched to pick up a pencil and paper and draw scenes from her expiriences.

Bunnymund continued painting, until, much later, he stood up straight to critique his work, check for errors to his design.

Wow, it's beautiful, Bunnymund!" Tooth exclaimed.

"Thanks, Toothy," Bunnymund said, setting down the brush.

"Beautiful egg!" Sophie giggled.

"You think so, Ankle - bita'?" the pooka said, glancing back at his work.

"It really is pretty," Pippa agreed in wonder.

"Can I eat it?" Cupcake inquired.

Bunnymund laughed, and then erruptly stopped, "No."

The Sandman drifted over, his lazy speed evidence of him being half asleep. When Sandy noticed he was drifting through the art display, he gave two thumbs up and a nodding smile.

"Can I do some art, too, Bunny?!" Ana burst out.

All heads turned to the Queen of Sparkletopia. She shrunk in the sudden shift of spotlight to herself.

"I'm sorry, I just really love drawing and stuff, and, well, you're doing art and I..." Ana rambled.

"Go on, Shelia," Bunnymund said, handing Ana a fistful of pens, brushes, and pencils. Ana reached out for the supplies, a slow smile spreading on her face. As she grasped the utinsles, a surge of creativity and purpose flowed into her. Ana was powerful once again.


	4. Let's Disturb the Peace, Shall We?

"I think it's time fo' a break, whadda ya guys think?" Creampuff panted.

"We've barely been on the road for fifteen minutes!" Olivia giggled.

"We do not stop for tea and cakes on this journey," Pitch growled. "We would continue until nightfall if I was not toting a child along." The Boogeyman shot a cold look to Olivia, who stuck out her tongue at him. "Lovely face, my dear," he commented, swivelling back to watch the road.

Olivia nudged Thunder along a bit until she was to the right of Pitch instead of a couple feet behind him.

"So, what do you think the Darklands are like?" Olivia interrogated the man.

Pitch glanced at her. "Oh, probably dark, of course, and rife with danger."

"Aaawesoome," the High General whispered..

The Nightmare King turned to her, eyebrow (where it was supposed to be) raised. "I thought you were into that 'rainbows, unicorns, and glitter!' nonsense... and the 'Follow your dreams and wonder and blah, blah, blah!' rubbish those Guardians promote."

"I do love bright colors and shiny objects, and I definately believe in following your dreams and ambitions and holding onto children's practices, but I am a tomboy, so I love adventure, weaponry, and monsters... stuff like that," Olivia explained. "Most people see nerd-like qualities of mine or bubbly, sparkly, sometime weird Olivia, but most people miss the fact that I kick butt in sports, am EXTREMELY competitive, and crave danger and excitement. That's why I encouraged the others to let you go, as long as I went... and, well, I think you should have a little happiness for once. Just don't hurt other people, because then I would have to kick your butt."

Pitch stared at her, frowning. "Uh huh." The Nightmare King turned away.

The travelling group halted. They had reached a narrow cliff... the pass through the mountain.

"Uh, I don't feel comfortable about this. Shouldn't we go around?" Creampuff whimpered.

"No," Pitch said, dismounting. Olivia did the same, asking, "What are we doing?"

"We are going to have to go by ourselves," Pitch determined, examining the width of the ledge. "Creampuff, you and Thunder must scale the mountain and return to the bottom, while Olivia and I take this shorter path. It will be easier for you to go up without carrying us. We should take approximately the same amount of time, so meet us where ever this leads to."

Before he allowed the equestrian beings to go off on their path, he removed two swords, two packages of rainbows and glitter with disgust, and Olivia's bedroll. Pitch gave a sword to Olivia and slung the remaining shealth over his shoulder. Lastly, he handed the sleeping bag to Olivia to carry and kept the food package in a satchel over his other shoulder.

"All right, we shall meet up, hopefully, by tomorrow evening," the Boogeyman said to Thunder and Sir Creampuff.

His focus dialated to Olivia. "Ladies first."

* * *

The High General shimmied along the wall of the cliff, the Nightmare King in step beside her. At some places, the ledge was thick enought to walk somewhat comfortably. However, the reciprocal was true, leaving enough space only for the pair to step carefully on the balls of their feet. And so, they continued scootching along, careful to avoid the one wrong move that would send them tumbling down into the valley.

"You know," Olivia remarked. "In stories, this was when someone would slip and the other person would heroically catch them, or the person that fell would dangle on the edge until they could pull them up."

"Are you planning to fall off?" Pitch asked.

"No, because one, I'm not cliquè, and two, I don't think you would catch me or help me up," admitted Olivia.

"Well, it's good to know we all have faith in each other, isn't it? " Pitch muttered.

"Yep!" Olivia reciprocated.

Olivia grabbed a loose knob of stone, sending her downwards, toward her left. She straightened up, turning to Pitch, a look of amusement on her face. "Interesting how much time irony spends around me."

"Really?" Pitch said.

"Yeah, my mom has fussed at us about going to restroom right as we were leaving and then, when we got down the road, we find we just missed a car wreck," Olivia explained.

"That's unfortunate."

"You're a real pal, arn't you?"

"Oh, but I am. I am being nice."

"Then, I prefer that we were enemies."

Pitch laughed. "That, my dear, is not something I would say to someone when you cling to the side of a cliff."

"Pu-lease. I'm not afraid of you OR death."

"Plenty of people do not fear me or death. But you do fear something."

"I don't think so. I've thought about it, and I have never had many phobias of something, just situational fear... like, for example, in situational fear, one might have fear of falling off this cliff if they were in our shoes. It's a kind of survival kind of thing, so you don't die."

"I know your fears of the past... and present. Do you wish me to not say them aloud?"

"Say what you like. I am not afraid of my own faults."

"Well, I will say you have overcome your fears... You are strange."

"I want to be fearless."

Silence hung in the air as Pitch contemplated those words. Then he laughed his breathy, rumbling laughter.

"There will always be fear," the Nightmare King growled.

"Sure there will be, Pitchy Poo," Olivia retorted, rolling her eyes. "Like I was explaining earlier, there will always come a time when I will have a situational fear, but on a whole, I rarely fear. Sorry to disappoint you, but I am bold."

"And modest," he muttered.

"I think people who are immodest flaunt their greatness. I don't do stuff like that," the High General said.

"You are one interesting girl, my dear."

"Thank you."

The pair left off their conversation to silence, the only noise resulting from their own footsteps and the scratch they made on the rock. As the quietness continued and the repetitive motion of travelling the cliff persisted, Olivia drew in a slow breath and released it. Calm.

"Why... Do you think Sandman agreed to let me go?" Pitch broached. "He is, after all, my enemy."

"Hm," Olivia replied. "Well, what you bad guys don't understand is kindness, and I think he either, a, didn't think it could harm anyone for you go to the Darklands, or b, he was being kind."

"Kind?" Pitch sneered."Don't tell me you buy into this foolish-"

"Well, there you go again!" Olivia interjected. "You act like everything is so painfully worthless in comparison to yourself! Why can't you except the fact that other people and things are meaningful? Everything has a purpose... Even jerks like you."

Pitch drew back from the girl, surprised anger flashing in his eyes and through his face. Finally, he narrowed his eyes at her.

Olivia, however, had turned away, cold fire in her expression. The High General did not stand people who lived lives of injustice.

"Well," Pitch finally hissed in mock sincerity. "I apologize that my entire existance seems to disgust you."

"Why are you so evil?" Olivia interrogated, even though she knew the answer.

"I don't know exactly," Pitch stammered eventually, as this area of his life was fuzzy and disoriented. "I was once... like you and the Guardians. I defended those who could not defend themselves. I sought to rid the galaxies of the armies of Dream Pirates. But fate played a cruel, cruel card. My family was shattered. My wife was dead, and I thought my daughter was too. She, however survived, as I later found out. But all because the Dream Pirates attacked my house. It changed me. I was once merciful to my captives, but when I captured these Pirates, I slaughtered them all. Then, after all the dark, evil creatures of the galaxy had been rounded up, I volunteered to guard the prison. The Pirates and Fearlings whispered to me, using the voice of my daughter. I hoped she was there. I wanted to save her. And I was weak. But they saved me. Those creatures gave me power and a hunger! I was to be feared by all!"

"So, you don't want to be with your daughter and spread fear across the Earth because a bunch of Dream Pirates and stuff twisted your mind?" Olivia concluded. "Wow, and I thought middle school was bad. I feel sorry for you."

"Feel bad?" Pitch scoffed. "I have power and cunning beyond your wildest nightmares!"

"And therefore I feel bad for you," Olivia persisted. "You don't have what you need."

"What?"

"Love, of course. I mean, hasn't the human race written enough stories and songs about every type and level of love imaginable, only to say it is the most powerful and mysterious thing at our advantage?"

Pitch cackled with his cold laughter. "Love?! Ha! I could push you off this cliff face for that! Love! HA! Olivia, my dear, that is the funniest thing I have ever heard you say!" The Nightmare King continued to howl with laughter.

Olivia laughed a brief, breathy laugh too. "You can't understand love without having love." She continued on, shaking her head. "I don't care if you think I'm stupid or something."

"Oh, but you are, in some ways," Pitch said.

"That's okay," Olivia smiled. "Your opinion is insignificant next to the power of the Force!" The girl sniggered.

"I don't think I understand," the Boogeyman said.

"Star Wars reference," the High General said as means of explanation.

"I'll take your word for it."

"You do that."

Eventually, (they had to stop for lunch earlier, of course) the sun began to crept towards the west, setting off a vivid sunset full of fiery reds, oranges, pinks, and deep, dark purples. They stopped at a section of the cliff where it jutted out further than usual.

"Well, as much as I prefer night travel, you have to sleep. We can camp here," Pitch declared.

"We can keep going," Olivia countered. "I have a lot of energy. We can eat here and move on if you like."

Pitch smiled his devilish smile. "Ah, eagar are we?"

"No," Olivia frowned. "I just want to off this cliff quickly and I have abundant amounts of energy. And you said you like night travel, so whatever."

Pitch nodded. "Very well."

The Nightmare King removed some food from his satchel and handed it to Olivia. She munched on the rainbows and chugged down the liquid glitter.

"Do you need food?" Olivia broached.

"I need fear and dreams for sustenance," Pitch explained.

"Mhm," Olivia said. "So, what if you can't get those things here?"

"I must eat what you eat, my dear. I need some sort of energy."

"So, with fear and dreams, do you do some sort of photosynthesis type thing?"

"What is photosynthesis?"

Olivia errupted into giggles. "You call me stupid for talking about love, but you don't even know what photsynthesis is! It regrets me deeply to say this, but... YOU CRAY CRAY!" The girl had sobered into a serious tone at the beginning of her sentence, but had returned to laughing after tuning in to her inner slang.

"What is 'cray cray?'" Pitch was really confused.

Olivia's body shook with silent laughter as the High General covered her face. The Boogeyman stared at her like she was an alien species. "It's 'crazy' in slang lingo!" Olivia managed to spluttered out.

Pitch's face wrinkled in disgust. "You say this as you laugh yourself into a fit."

"I can't remain serious forever," Olivia explained, grinning. "I'm too upbeat and optimistic."

"I find that disturbing."

Olivia laughed again. "Photosynthesis... well, it would be Phobiasynthesis, actually."

Pitch's demeanor gave off the barest hint of amusement. "Maybe."

Olivia polished off the last bite of her dried rainbow strip and stood up. "Ready to go?"

"Of course."

Gathering up the few things they had unpacked, they routed themselves on their previous course.

The night sky was filled with cold starlight and a bright shining moon. Darkness had a cheerful feel to it, as apposed to the familiar abandoned, foreboding tone we are used to. Little life stirred among the still atmosphere.

"Knowing you are used to being out at night, doesn't it have the feel that you can't disturb it?" Olivia broached in a whisper.

"Yes," the Boogeyman agreed, nodding.

"I AM GREAT AT DISTURBING THE PEACE!" Olivia yelled, causing Pitch to roll his eyes.

"Are you always like this at night?"

"Or when I'm with my friends, just read FanFiction, or had some caffeine!"

"Uhg, go back to being philosophical."

"Would you like to hear a quote, then?"

"If it means you shut up, yes."

"Whiners are not winners." As Pitch rolled his eyes, Olivia chuckled. "Do you want some cheese to go with that whine?"

"I wish I had a beverage at the moment."

"Well, just think, 'When you get to the Darklands, you can do whateva you want!'"

"I suppose."

"Hey, cheer up! It's nighttime! You're going the Darklands! Your life isn't so bad at the moment! Although, you have to deal with my good mood."

"And why ARE you in such a good mood?"

"I fell into the giggle trap. I've been serious for too long!"

"You are really irritating me."

"It is the occupational hazard of all villains in the presence of me, the Second Most Annoying Thing In Existence! "

Pitch sighed, "I am tired of this journey. I cannot wait to arrive."

"Are you feeling okay?" Olivia inquired, becoming more concerned.

"I have not felt the same ever since we landed in this place."

"Do you need to stop?"

"No, thank you my dear."

"Okay. Just making sure. I don't exactly want to have to catch you from falling."

Olivia, later, glanced up at the stars to find they had journeyed across the sky. Her legs and arms had developed an achy feeling and her eyes felt better when they were closed. She shut them tightly and took in a deep breath. Then, the High General forced herself to yawn (which wasn't that hard) to get oxygen flowing to her brain. Olivia did not plan on falling asleep so quickly.

"If you are tired, we can stop," Pitch said.

"I can go a while longer," Olivia said. As long as she kept moving, she wouldn't grow as tired than if she was still.

"Actually, I want you to stop," Pitch countered. "See that area off over that way?" The Boogeyman released a crack to point to a weathered area with room to spread out in a bit ahead. "We will stop there so you can rest until morning."

Olivia frowned and her brows furrowed. Pitch's look was hard, but softened a tad at her face. The High General wore an expression of protest, but Pitch could see the tiredness starting to grow in her eyes. "I won't make you stay long. I will wake you at dawn." The Nightmare King nudged her along.

The pair reached their goal, where Olivia spread out her sleeping bag and crawled in without a word. Like it or not, she slid into sleep quickly. Pitch chuckled softly. I told you so.

* * *

Pitch shook Olivia on the shoulder. The sun shone in the sky, bright and clear. It was well past dawn.

Olivia yawned and turned over, stretching. The High General froze, then scrambled upward. "You cliquè little... WEIRDO! You let me sleep past dawn!"

"Weirdo?" Pitch echoed. "You should happy I kept you from pushing yourself too far and getting sick."

"I am the Queen of Pushing Myself Too Far!" Olivia retorted. "And I have a high immune system!"

"How should I know that? Are you really trying to kill yourself?" Pitch demanded.

"No!" Olivia responded, rubbing her face. "I'm trying to get to the Darklands as fast as possible."

"Why?"

"Because you want to, duh! I'm supposed to making sure you don't hurt people and stuff and help you get there and I want to be there and we are travelling and talking but you're so hard to talk to and I'm tired climbing this stupid cliff! I feel like this is the whole of my life! Climbing this cliff!"

"Are you done ranting?"

"Uhhhh... Yeah... Sorry, that needed to come out. I'm thirsty. Can I have some of the liquid glitter?"

Pitch handed the girl her breakfast. "Take your time. We might have gotten ahead last night."

"That's good," Olivia said, then bit into the chewy rainbow. "How much further do we have to go?"

"About half a day's worth of climbing."

"Only half?"

"Yes. Let's be off."


	5. Evil Hot People

Ana sat in a boring meeting with her councilors and various nobles. The queen had requested Jack to come with her to tone down the boringness of it. The serious expressions of the gathered people was tinted with a sense of pleasure and relief.

"As we all know," began a plump, jolly man with an outfit of peppermint candy, "the Shadow King of the Darklands is on the rise. As we saw when Her Majesty and her friends arrived, that..." the peppermint man trailed off, looking at Ana.

"Pitch?" The girl offered.

"Yes, Pitch was with them. From his entire demeanor, we could tell he was from the Darklands." Peppermint continued. "But, now, we have our queen back, and she will lead us to victory!"

Many of the nobles applauded, and a few even cheered. Jack shot Ana a smirk, causing her to smile and look away. However, a smattering of the crowd looked on with worried or disapproving expressions. One of these people rose from their seats to speak.

"We've no reason to believe that is our queen, Ana," the woman exclaimed. "She did bring the dark man with her, and then let him go off with our High General."

"I am the queen!" Ana protested. "You said so yourselves!"

"Hey," Jack said. "Ana is more suited to the job than any of you, so just chill out." After a pause, he added, "Or I can freeze you."

At this, many of the protestors went into internal reflection; the one who voiced her suspicion sat down in alarm. Jack smirked again.

"If the Shadow King of the Darklands becomes a big threat, we must prepare for war," Ana declared.

"What of our missing High General?" A quivering man squeaked out. "We need her aid in our military campaigns!"

"She is accompanying Pitch into the Darklands," Ana explained. "There she can gain valuable information about our enemies."

"What if she is captured or..." that same man gulped. "... killed?"

"Olivia is strong," Ana replied. "I believe in her."

* * *

"Hey, Pitch, do you know how freakishly tiny your wrists are in comparison to your freakishly large hands?" Olivia broached as she made her way down the last stretch of the cliff hanging portion of their journey.

Pitch, who was to her right (they moved to the left), rolled his eyes. "They are not freakishly tiny!"

Olivia laughed and gave him a sly look. "Photosynthesisssssss," she whispered.

"You really shouldn't try to annoy me," Pitch advised her.

"I'm tempted to say 'photosynthesis' to everything you say," Olivia said.

"Do that, and I will push you off this cliff."

"You do that, and you have as much fun as possible with that."

They continued on, until a cracking sound notified them that something was breaking. Pitch and Olivia stopped and glanced around to locate the source of the noise and if it was a danger to them.

The whole world seemed to shift as a nearby mountain errupted with steaming maple syrup. The two travellers turned to cling closer to the cliff face, but Olivia was thrown away. As she tumbled towards possibly falling off the cliff, Pitch snatched her shirt and hauled her towards him. The High General latched onto the wall, while the Nightmare King kept an arm around her and held onto the wall with his used hand. Wave after wave of energy rippled through the environment, yet with each onslaught, the power lessened. However, the pair did not move until the ground ceased to vibrate.

Pitch looked up first, straightening up and removing his hand from Olivia's shoulder. Olivia, still holding onto the wall, turned to the Boogeyman, who looked at her with a calculating face. "Thank you," she said.

"You're welcome," the man reciprocated. "Try not to fall off next time, shall we?"

"Oh, sorry, but it's my life dream to fall off a cliff," Olivia joked.

Pitch smirked at her. "I'll bet it is."

"Huh," Olivia remarked. "I knew you had a sense of humor that didn't involve hurting the Guardians or spreading fear and terror!"

Pitch's smirk fell from his face to reveal a contemptuous (almost popular-girl-glare) expression.

"Do you need an Exlax Brownie?" Olivia inquired in a small voice.

No change in response.

"Fine," Olivia sighed. "What do want? I know you want something!"

Pitch brightened up, his face taking on an interested expression. "I want you to scream in terror."

Olivia gave him her annoyed face. "I can act, but that's about it."

"Go ahead," he said, waving his hand.

Olivia drew in a breath and slammed her eyes shut. "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

The High General let loose a high pitched (no relation intended) scream, rationing all of her breath into it. Meanwhile, Pitch acquired a nasty grin and closed his eyes. His hand swayed back and forth, as if he conducted an orchestra.

When she stopped, Olivia was grinning too, just nicer. "You know, it's fun to scream."

"Oh, really?" Pitch said. "Then why didn't you do so when you were falling off?"

"My brain does not leave room for doing so in those sorts of situations," Olivia explained. "Screaming and yelling is best left to use with servitors."

"Servitors?" Pitch echoed, laughing. "Are you a good guy or bad guy?"

"Um, both," the High General responded, but countered her original statement. "Actually... I'm Olivia."

Olivia began to continue down the last leg of their course. Pitch followed.

Olivia and Pitch lept down to the floor, the High General landing ninja-style. It was only early afternoon, but they did not expect to meet up with Thunder and Sir Creampuff until later that night. Olivia requested some liquid glitter and a strip of rainbow to quell her hunger and sooth her irritated throat.

A rustle from the undergrowth of the forest that jutted upward in front of them caused Olivia to jump into the air and rotate, landing in a ninja attack pose. A rainbow dangled from her mouth.

Imagine the most attractive girl and guy you can think of and call them horrendously ugly. The pair that stepped out of the woods had an unearthly radiance that seemed cause them to glow a soft light. They wore garments of starlight. In fact, THEY seemed to be constructed of starlight.

"Hello," the girl greeted them, but looked at Pitch as she said this.

"We have expected you ever since we saw you scaling the cliff pass," the boy explained, who stared into Olivia's eyes."Come with us."

"I'll pass," Olivia said as obnoxiously as possible.

The boy laughed a clear, strong laugh. "I love you, Olivia."

Olivia's body pulsed with foreboding and panic. As demonstrated before, the High General had a keen perception of whatever situation she faced, particulary unspoken traits of strangers.

"My sister, Marissa, and I live nearby, across the river. There is food, drink, and bed for you both," the boy continued.

"We have no time to stop," Pitch said, clearing annoyed. "We are going to the Darklands."

The twin siblings began to laugh in warm tones. "Oh, we know. That is why we offer our assistance," Marissa insisted. "And... We have taken a liking to you two."

"I KNEW IT!" Olivia shouted, jabbing her finger towards their faces. "YOU GUYS ARE EVIL!"

Marissa and her brother's faces fell, their brows furrowing in irritated confusion. The boy stepped forward, "Olivia, sweetheart, we are not evil." He smiled. "But you do have a way of making me laugh."

Olivia drew back, her face contorted in disgust. "You disgust me!"

"We insist you to come," Marissa said, grabbing Pitch's hands in her's. "You can stay long enough to eat and rest, and then we shall help you unite with Thunder and Sir Creampuff!"

Pitch snatched his hands away in disgust, wiping them off on his robes. However, the Boogeyman's face grew considerate.

"Seriously?" Olivia said, her signature annoyed face on once she saw his expression. "You're considering going off with some weird people of unearthly beauty who know too much about us considering we're complete strangers to them and trusting them and taking their lodging and food?"

"In the case of your distrust, I now gladly agree," the Nightmare King said.

"That is called 'spite,' Pitch," Olivia lectured in her own obnoxious, smart aleky way. "If you want friends, you can't be spiteful."

Pitch turned on her contemptously. "If I wanted to hear you talk, I would ask."

"Weeeeeellllll, not to quote my FRIEND, Neel Patrick or anything, buuuuuuuut... IF I WANTED TO TALK TO A BUTTHOLE, I'D FART!" Olivia yelled, ending by blowing him a slurpy raspberry.

"You are so childish, you know that?" He chided.

"Oh, so who employed you to say that? The Mothers of Strict Obedience Society?" Olivia sneered. "I assume you're the body president."

Pitch stamped his foot. "Do not address me in that tone, girl!"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Olivia said in sarcastic cheerfulness. "But I can't hear you over the sound of how lame you are!"

"What is wrong with you?" Pitch demanded.

"I AM BEING AS OBNOXIOUS AND ANNOYING AS POSSIBLE SO THAT THESE PEOPLE GO AWAY AND DON'T CAPTURE US THROUGH TRICKERY! I AM AN AUTHOR, I KNOW THESE THINGS!" Olivia answered.

"We shall take you up on your offer," Pitch said. "But, we must seek out our rides this evening."

"Great!" Marissa ejaculated. "Come!"

The twins turned and skipped off into the woods, hand in hand, with Pitch striding behind them. Olivia huffed and walked after them, glaring. The forest was the model of a beautiful, natural location in our world. It was filled with a comforting contrast of shadows and sunlight, dotting in ancient and younger trees, and had the feel that a rain had just come in to wash and freshen it up. Birdsong filled the air, and plant life sprang from every corner. After crossing a merry little bridge over a sweet, little creek, the twins, Pitch, and finally Olivia were met with the sight of a cottage. The house was made of wood, and a little graden bordered one side of it. The opposing side supported a stable.

"Home, sweet home," the boy chirped, as the congregation entered the dwelling.

"Jack, why don't you go put the kettle on?" Marissa said to her brother. "I'll go set up some cakes and such. We can all enjoy a nice cup of tea." She turned to us. "Won't that be fun?"

Olivia's face acquired a sly look. "Pitch, you said we couldn't stop for tea and cakes on this journey!"

"Well, I lied," he shot back. "Bad guys do that."

"Seriously? That's the card you're playing?" Olivia rolled her eyes. Then she muttered, "Whatever, peasant."

"What did you just call me?"

"A peasant."

"I am the Nightmare King!"

"I'm the Dictator of the Universe. You're a peasant with your tiny little peasant wrists and your freakishly disproportionate peasant hands!"

"Let's not fight," Jack said.

Olivia gave him a stare. "Please, leave us to our own arguement."

"Olivia, I want what's best for you," Jack protested.

"Then stop fussing over me," Olivia snapped. "I'm not your sweetheart!"

Jack's attitude dropped from perky yet concerned to expressionless and malevolent. "You're right. I'm just here to-"

"I TOLD YOU SO, AGAIN, PITCH!" Olivia yelled as Marissa and Jack disappeared and white, sparkly smoke filled the air. Nothing more was to be known.


	6. Heartfelt Conversations

The walls were black. The floors were black. The room had no light. Pitch felt elation! Darkness for once! The Boogeyman glanced around to find he was in bed. He threw off the covers and slid out of bed, making his way to the door across the floor. Opening the door, Pitch emerged into the hallway to discover Marissa and Jack standing outside his door. The twins were no longer glowing or clothed in starlight. They were darker versions of the first Pitch had seen of them.

"You are wanted in the throne room," Marissa said, staring at the wall as she had done since her watch began.

Pitch continued on without a word, down the dim, unlit hallway. At the end of the passage, another door closed off what was concealed behind: the throne room. When Pitch opened the door, he was met by the sight of a cyclopean hall, lit by suspended disks that contained a blue fire running parallel down the sides. The walls were bare and cold, without any hint of rich tapestries or decoration found in the bright, bubbly palace of Sugaria. The massive throne's style was sharp and angular... and on it perched a man of equal darkness as Pitch. This person was clothed in a simple, inky outfit that ended at his wrists, ankles, and top of his throat, and it was also of one piece. The man, however, was young and handsome, with a head of dark brown hair and eyes of deep, beautiful brown. The young man wore a face of deep contemplation, yet had an aura of melancholy regret.

Pitch slid up to the throne, not a sound coming from his feet. A few feet away from the throne, he paused, waiting for the attention of the man to be transposed from the floor to him.

His patience did not stay for more than a moment or two.

"If you send two idiots to capture me, perhaps you should try to do so when I am not in the presense of another, smarter idiot who can sense danger."

The man on the throne looked up, straightening his back. He smiled at Pitch. "Welcome to my halls!" The man threw up his hands, gesturing round him. "I am Daubt, the Shadow King!"

Pitch dipped his head. "I am Pitch, the Nightmare King and Boogeyman."

Daubt stood in respect, mimicking the action of Pitch. "If I had known, I would have contacted you earlier. When you arrived in Sugaria, my spies, Marissa and Jack, told me of your unorthodox manner, I knew you would possibly be an ally."

"Possibly," the Nightmare King said dismissively. "But what I want is to know where my companions are."

"Well," Daubt began. "Sir Creampuff had to be restrained; he's locked up in the dungeons. Thunder is currently in the stables, being cared for by my servants. Olivia... Olivia is barricaded in her room, singing the same song over and over again!"

"Sounds like her," Pitch commented.

The door burst open, the High General dancing and singing in,

"I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath,

"Scared to rock the boat and make a mess.

"So I sat quietly, agreed politely.

"I guess I forgot I had a choice,

"Let you push me past the breaking point.

"I stood for nothing,

"So I fell for everything.

"You held me down, but I got up,

"Hey!

"Already brushing off the dust.

"You hear my voice, you hear that sound?

"Like thunder, gonna shake the ground.

"You held me down, but I got up,

"Get ready, 'cause I've had enough!

"I see it all, I see it now...

"I've got the eye of the tiger, a fighter,

"Dancin' through the fire

"'Cause I am a champion,

"And you're gonna hear me roar!

"Louder, louder than the lion,

"'Cause I am the champion

"And you're gonna an hear me roar!"

"You have a keen sense on how to irritate people, don't you?" The Shadow King inquired.

"Yep!" Olivia beamed.

"So," Daubt mused. "Were you going to kill her, imprison her, or let her go, free?"

"I planned to let her go free, but I wonder if that's the best option," Pitch replied.

"Personally, I would imprison her and use her as leverage against the kingdom of Sugaria. How easily they would fall to my feet!" Daubt said, cackling.

"No doubt they would," Pitch agreed, his eyes flashing in greed. "And those pesky Guardians, too!"

"Guardians?" Daubt echoed. "Are those the strangers that accompanied the queen?"

"Yes!"

"We must imprison her, then!"

Pitch glanced backwards towards Olivia, who faced his gaze with a mischievous challenge in her eye. "I agree," the Boogeyman said.

"Guards! Captur-!" Daubt began.

"No need," Pitch interrupted. "She will be under my protection."

An outslaught of nightmares sprang up from the corners of the hall. Several of them whinnied or snorted; the entire force drawing closer to Olivia.

Olivia snickered, and then burst into flat out laughter. "I thought of something: your nightmares are all a herd, which sounds like..." She broke off into silent laughter. "... turd!"

Pitch scowled. "Take her off until we need her!" He commanded his horses.

"Wait, Pitch, before I leave, I have to tell you something!" Olivia exclaimed. "If you leave the Darklands, you will loose your powers! It's what I told you when we first arrived in Sparkletopia: you have to dance!"

Pitch roared in laughter. "No I don't!"

"The girl is right," Daubt cut in. "I can sense your power is connected to the land. If you leave, that connection will be lost."

"But how will dancing help me make a permanent reconnection to my powers?" The Nightmare King demanded.

"You're in a world where people eat rainbows and drink glitter," Olivia retorted, and then sang, "Anything's possible!"

"You just want to see me embarrass myself!" Pitch snarled.

"That too," Olivia said as nightmares circled around her. "But if you give me some sticky notes and music, you dance, and then I can use the power of the sticky notes to return your powers."

"And I should trust you how?" Pitch growled.

"By agreeing regardless of doubts or the possibility that I am lying. That's trust," Olivia explained.

"WHY, YOU IDIOT?!" He roared.

"BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT FRIENDS DO!"

"Friends?"

"Yeah."

"We are anything but friends!"

"Yes we are, silly! We're Best Friends For-eva and a Day!"

"Oh, we ARE, are we? I disagree!"

"Fine, PITCHY POO!"

Daubt sniggered. "Pitchy Poo?"

"You dare insult me! I-"

"Yeah, because I think you are such a contemptous jerk!" Olivia shouted at him, stepping up to him. Pitch countered her movement

"You are all nothing more than a handful of fools! Why should I respect you?!"

"Because we're not a bunch of worthless people! The Guardians, Ana, Jamie, Sophie, Pippa, Cupcake, Monty, Claude, and Caleb are all more than nothingness! I know, because,..."

Olivia stared into his gaze, searching her mind for a proper explaination and the man before her for understanding she tried in vain to give him. Slowly, her mouth closed and she turned her head away.

"You just don't get it," Olivia whispered. "Someone as hurt and ignorant as you can't understand what it feels like to know your worth."

Pitch looked upon the girl before him, appearing so fragile and foreward with her heart, and felt a sense of confusion cyclone in him. Was he saddened by her state and his own retchedness, or was he as cold and unfeeling as ever?

"Why can't you understand?" Olivia demanded, interrupting Pitch's thought process.

"Understand?" The Boogeyman echoed. "I, who was cast out and ignored, understand perfectly!"

"No, you don't," the High General refuted. "You don't get that you can't hurt people. Just because you're wounded, doesn't mean everyone else has to share in your suffering. I KNOW there's a good man in your heart." She gave a tiny laugh. "Like Darth Vader. You can't let Fearlings or Nightmares control your heart, Pitch. I believe in you... the real you. Not a Nightmare King, but a great man who once defended the weak and goodness."

"Oh, you BELIEVE in me?" The Nightmare King sneered. "Olivia BELIEVES in me! How sweet!"

Tears sprung from Olivia's eyes. "Go ahead and laugh," she sighed in defeat, tears splashing down her cheeks. The girl sat down and allowed her tears to spill out. Nightmares circled her in confusion.

Pitch watched her with equal consideration and bemusement. Why did this girl care so much about him?

"Why do you care about me?" Pitch mused.

Olivia glanced upwards. "I HATE it when people are hurt. No one deserves to be kicked in the face when they need a hug the most."

Daubt broached, "Why?"

"I don't know," Olivia responded. "I guess I learned it from books I've read and my own life experiences. I have never been able to hurt someone and regret it with all my heart. Annoying people? My specialty. Hurting people? I might as well convince myself that my favorite color isn't red... That's impossible, by the way."

The hall fell into silence as Olivia watch the two men of darkness, and they watched her with faces of sympathy or concern.

"Nightmares," Pitch ordered. "Escort Olivia to her room."

The Boogeyman's minions galloped towards the High General, guiding her off through the single entrance door.

Olivia sat on the simple bed in her quarters, hands on her lap. The door creaked open, allowing Pitch access to the dim lighted room. The Boogeyman slipped in, using the shadows to move without a sound. The Nightmare King stood before the High General, who noticed his feet with a frown.

"What is it?" Olivia inquired.

"Will you come with me?" Pitch asked, offering his hand.

"I'm not feeling up to anything much," the girl explained, flopping into her pillow.

"Not even 'Torture-the-Boogeyman'?!" Pitch exclaimed. "Even you couldn't resist!"

"Actually, I can."

"WHAT? Have I broken you?" Laughter spilled from his mouth.

"Maybe. You should be ashamed."

Pitch's amusement dripped from his face, contorting into his usual annoyance. "Oh, come on! Are you honestly this sad?"

"Maybe. Teenagers are very emotional and sensitive."

"I thought you were different... all perky."

"I thought the Sandman was the god Helios when I first saw him."

"Why?"

"Don't get off topic."

"You are the one who brought it up!"

"What is the point of this conversation?"

"Look, all I came here to say is that I apologize! Happy now?"

"...Maybe."

"Really? ...I know it's hard for those of you with simple intelligence to comprehend, but I really despise your irritating sense of humor."

"If I'm so stupid, then why am I in advanced placement classes? Why do I care for someone as cruel as you?!"

"Maybe you are stupid to do so."

"Maybe."

"Oh, well," Pitch sighed, turning and making his way to the exit. "If you don't except my apology or want to help me regain my powers... your loss..." The Boogeyman glanced around, seeing if Olivia would fall for his bribe. The grin fell from his face as the girl fake snored.

"Okay!" The Nightmare King roared. "Why won't you return to being forgiving and caring and easy to manipulate?"

"Because I am not easy to manipulate, turky brains," Olivia snapped.

"I really am sorry," Pitch said. "Will you please help me?! I cannot express it any other way. I will uphold your prior agreement for dancing!"

"Only if you wear the clothing I make you change into... And I will also need a video camera; well, actually, I can summon my tablet once I get the sticky notes."

"Good. So, you will help me."

Pitch returned to Olivia's side. The High General hopped up, combing her long bangs with her fingers. The Nightmare King grabbed her arm as she walked by, resulting in her stopping.

"Thank you," he said. "I mean in."

There was a sincerity in his response that made Olivia all the more apt to believe Pitch was faking.

"You just want me to believe that," the High General muttered, grabbing Pitch's arm and tugging him along after her.

"Oh-ho, no," the Boogeyman half-laughed, jerking the girl back. "I am being sincere. Can you not trust me at all? I did save you from falling off the cliff, after all."

Olivia conceded. "You did, even when I stated that I believed you would not. Maybe you're not as bad as you've been twisted to be. I certainly believe so. Just give it some time."

"Really?" Pitch chuckled. "You really want me to be the good guy, don't you?"

"No, I just want you to be free to make your own choices and to forge your own trail through life without some evil twisting your thoughts."

Olivia dragged him away.

* * *

Jack pulled his frost-covered, dark blue hoodie over the chain mail Ana had given him. The man helping him equip himself was a knight and planned to accompany Queen Ana and himself to the Darklands to nogotiate with Daubt, the Shadow King. One other knight would come with the travellers. Jack loaded his sword and packs onto the pegasus, Breeze. The winged horse was a cool azure blue with silver wings. Jack climbed up the step stool and swung his leg over the creature's back. Ana, riding her polar bear, came up from behind the pair. She was dressed in non-hindering trousers and a shirt that were both purple. Swords were strapped around her back.

"Ready to go?" She interrogated her troops and the Winter Sprite.

"Of course, Your Highness," the men chorused.

"Yeah," Jack agreed with a smile. The knights' eyebrows raised and they glanced at the teenager out of the corner of their eyes.

"No one addresses-" One of them began before Ana cut him off.

"Chill out. It's okay," Ana assured them. She nudged her bear along. "Now, let's go."

The knight, both on ponies, trotted beside the queen protectively, while Jack brought up the rear. The travellers exitted the stables and rode through the streets to the gate, just as Olivia and Pitch had done before them.

"Tell me, how long is this gonna take?" The Winter Spirit inquired.

"As long as it will," Ana replied.

The travellers had spent hours on the road when Jack had spotted the nightmare. The night horse galloped off towards the Darklands once it noticed the four.

"Should I go after it?" Jack asked Ana.

"No," she responded. "It will take the message back to Pitch that we're coming. We also know now that Olivia and Pitch made it to the Darklands safely... or at least Pitch did."

"Do you think Olivia made it alive?" The Guardian continued.

"... Of course," Ana reciprocated after only a momental hesitation. "And so will we!"

"You sure?" Jack pursued.

"Yes!" The queen half groaned, half laughed.

"If you say so," Jack relented, only to broach, "Are we there yet?"

"Jack!" Ana protested. "Are you ever quiet?"

"Take it easy, I just wanted to talk. I want to know if they're okay... well, Olivia actually. She... She was really... I don't know whether she was was really brave or really stupid going with Pitch to make sure he doesn't destroy everything."

"Well, I think she is kind of both, but in a good way," Ana said.

Jack laughed. "Definately."

"How far are we from the Darklands?" Ana inquired one of the knights.

The man reached back for a map in his satchel. After alternating between studying the map, glancing at their surroundings, and focusing steering his pony, he answered, "We are several days journey away. It could take up to a week if we bypass the Maple Syrup Mountains. I suggest we do so, Your Majesty, unless absolutely neccessary. After that, we pass through the untamed woods on the other side and find the entrance to the Darklands."

Ana looked down in silent protest. "We need to go quicker than we are now. Everybody stop." The three equestrian beings and one bear ground to a halt. Ana dismounted and approached Breeze and Jack. "Jack and I can fly the way. You two return and tell everyone we are safe..." With help from the Winter Spirit, the queen hauled herself onto the pegasus. "... for now."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" The knights chorused, turning their ponies back to Sugaria. Ana's polar bear lumbered after them.

"Alright, we're off," Jack said.

Breeze glided over the mountains, which Ana and Jack had witnessed errupting that morning. They would reach the Darklands by that evening.

* * *

Pitch, Olivia, Daubt, Marissa, and Jack gathered near each other in the Shadow King's once-used ballroom. When Daubt had led the group to the deserted room, he had not worn his usual attitude and had reverted back to the small, melancholy demeanor Pitch had first seen of him. The Shadow King had exchanged his black outfit for a midnight coat and matching pants that sparkled with stars. As he entered the grand room, tears streamed down his face.

Olivia stepped towards him, extending a hand to touch his hands, which Daubt had thrust onto his face to conceal in shame. "What's wrong?"

"I have made so many mistakes!" Daubt sobbed. "I hurt someone here, someone important to me." His voice fell to a whisper. "The only person important to me!"

"Oh, please-" Pitch began sneering, until Olivia whirled around in anger and smashed his toes with her heel.

"SHUT! UP! I AM SO TIRED OF YOU PUSHING ME AND OTHER PEOPLE AROUND AND BEING SUCH AN INSENSITIVE JERK!" The High General thundered, her eyes squenched together in frustration. Pitch's attention was diverted from the pain coursing through his appendage by the enraged girl in front of him, leaving him open mouthed and with a face like a smacked bottom.

"I..." he trailed off while Olivia turned to Daubt. "What happened?"

"I sacrificed Foam for everything. I... gave her to the Shadows in exchange for their complete obedience to me. Now, I have nothing... nothing worth anything."

"You made your choice," Marissa said. "Now we are yours. What more can you want for?"

"You know what?" Olivia said, stiffening in determination and quivering slightly from controlling her energy. "I am going to fix everything. I don't care about impossibilities. We are going to fix it all. I pledge to both of you." The High General looked first to Pitch and then Daubt.

The men exchanged looks with each other.

"Drop it. Now."

Pitch decided to speak up. "Olivia."

"Yes?"

"We... I appreciate your, um, concern for our situations, but I am happy with who I am. Remember me telling you that I was weak before and now... now I see how wrong I was! I am powerful and I do not need anyone 'helping' me."

"Well, now you're just lying to my face. No, no, not to me, but yourself. You allow yourself to deny the truth. I do it all the time, myself. You CANNOT listen to the Fearlings inside your head. Just- just listen to me! I will not lie to you! Cross my heart and hope to die; stick a needle in my eye!" Olivia crossed herself over the heart. "I know... I know, I know, I know!" She chanted.

Pitch felt utter bewilderment spasm through him. This girl had gone crazy!

The Nightmare King placed a hand on her shoulder and steered her out of the door. The High General fell silent as he led her to her room. When Pitch had her sit on the bed, he told her, "Just calm down. You may return when you are ready." With that, the man sank back into the shadows, but if Olivia had bothered to search the shadows, she would have seen a pair of golden eyes watching her every move.

"I just want to know, do you really not care about anything but this false ambition Fearlings and Dream Pirates have given you?" Olivia inquired. "No."

"You are driving me crazy."

"Maybe I'm driving you sane!"

"I AM sane!"

"No you're not!"

"Prove it."

"... Do you love your daughter?"

"... Of course! But she does not love me. Otherwise, she would have joined her when she had the chance."

"That's not true! If she didn't love you, she would have killed you by now or joined the Guardians. The only reason she helped them was because she was friends with Sandy and didn't want you to hurt Kathrine."

"My daughter does not care for me!"

"You abandoned her in exchange for your ambitions!"

"I was weak! I searched for her! I gave up on love when she was gone!"

"But she came to you and you still placed her below your precious Fearling buddies!"

Pitch reemerged from the shadows. "Weakness! I have no room for weaknesses!"

"You're just scared and broken and unable to untangle yourself from your hate and pain! Do you ever consider putting everything behind you, especially when someone offers help?"

The Nightmare King stared at her, his eyes full to the brim of everything she had just said. "Do you honestly think I could?! As you continue to remind me, my mind is possessed by my own... followers... for that is what they are!"

"You mean masters. You're a puppet on a string."

"No, actually, they are my followers."

"A very fine example of how you lie to yourself, Kozmotis."

"You- you know my name?" Pitch fell to skeptical openness. This wounded innocence immediately became a glare rife with defense. "How do you know that?"

"I know."

"Answer me clearly."

"IIIIIIIII. Did you get that? KNOOOOOOOOOOOWAAAA!"

"Well," he took on a bit of mock cheerfulness. "THAT cleared everything up! Thank you!"

"Glad I could assist the stupid!"

The Boogeyman sighed. "What if I made you a deal, hm? If you stop insulting me, I'll try and understand your little... shenanigans. How do you feel about that?" He offered his hand. Olivia reached for it, grasped it gingerly, and shook it. "Huh, I'm making some progress here! Now, let's go dance!"


	7. Pitch Saves the Day! (That's a First!)

Pitch stared at the leotard in utter horror, and then looked up at Olivia, who was doubled over, laughing. The girl's body shook with silent spasms. "Tha-at face!"

The Boogeyman's aforementioned face contorted into a glare. "You continue to insult me! I thought we had a deal!"

"I said earlier that you had to wear what I told you. And I am not insulting you, just giving you the appropriate dance wear." The High General errupted into a fresh wave of snickers.

"Yes, you are. You are laughing at me!"

"Your point is?"

Pitch raised a hand to his face, pinching the top of his nose in between the eyes. "Why are you so annoying?"

"I am the Second Most Annoying Thing In Existence."

"Only second? To whom?" The Nightmare King looked up.

"This guy called Levi, but only because I don't annoy everybody. He doesn't discriminate."

"I would have thought it to be Frost; he has a certain way of getting under one's skin."

"I like _him_!"

"Of course you do."

"Anyways, I'll leave so you can have your privacy." Olivia said, turning to exit the door of the ballroom.

Olivia waited, back turned from the door, while the Boogeyman exchanged his robes for the ridiculous one piece. The Nightmare King cracked the door open to allow his head to fit through. "I'm done," he snarled. Olivia's mouth curled into a smile as it always wanted to do, whether the situation be humorous, awkward, or something along those lines. After returning to the ballroom (all the while NOT looking at Pitch), the High General approached her box of clothes and removed a pair of shorts. Eyes closed, she tossed them in Pitch's general direction.

A sly smile tweaked his features. "I thought you wanted to see me like this?" He threw his arms open wide.

"Blck! No thank you."

"Very well."

Waiting a moment for the Nightmare King to put on the shorts, Olivia peeped open her eye a slit, but soon both of them flared open. "You look ridiculous!" She sniggered. Pitch wore a black, skintight leotard that covered him down to the wrists and ankles and black, baggy gym shorts over it. His feet were covered by his usual shoes, which Olivia had deemed worthy.

"You look retared! I'm so glad I forced you to do this!"

"Well, as long as you're happy."

Olivia continued grinning as she grabbed her tablet, unlocked it, and opened the camera application, which featured a video recorder. Next, she waltzed over to the surround sound music player, and then the High General popped in a ballet music CD. After Olivia adjusted the track and her camera, she asked, "Ready?"

No response. And there was no sign of Pitch when she glanced up and had inquired. Olivia's head whirled around the room, attempting to find the Boogeyman. When she turned behind her, Pitch loomed over her, smirking down. Swatting the on button, he began, leaving Olivia precious few seconds to start the camera.

Pitch's routine was that of a skilled dancer. He kept in perfect sync with the music, and his movements were ligitimate.

_What the heck?!_ Olivia thought in wonder, capturing every moment on film.

When the music finished and Pitch lowered his final pose, Olivia tossed him one of the many water bottles lined up in the floor beside her. The Nightmare King chugged down half the bottle in a single gulp, screwed the cap back on, and handed it to Olivia, broaching, "What next?"

"Tap dancing. You can put your robes back on for this one, but you need tap shoes, which I have." The girl walked over to the costum box and dug around for the footwear she was searching for. Once found, she returned to where Pitch was standing and held them out to him. After the man took them, the High General exitted once more.

Pitch's tap routine was very unusual. Most tap is jazzy and upbeat, while his was much like when he was dancing around on the Globe of Belief. The next to come was hip hop, doing the Twist, sock hop, hula dancing, the macarana, polka, foxtrot, shagging, chicken dance, spiritual dancing, belly dancing (that was editted from the list quickly), gogo, break dancing, disco, clogging, river dancing, folk dancing, musical number (which Olivia had to join in singing, because she loved musical numbers), and interpretive dance. Last, Olivia dragged Daubt, Marissa, and Jack in to help the square dance. As it turned out, Daubt was an excellent dancer himself.

"Last two dances: waltzing and doing the tango," Olivia reported. "Marissa, do you mind helping?"

"I do not understand 'doing the tango.' I have never heard of such a dance, only waltz," she responded in her robotic fashion.

"What is 'doing the tango,' Olivia?" Daubt inquired.

"It's a dance with a pair. It's fairly simple movement, just walking back and forth in a certain manner," the High General explained. "Basically."

"None of us knows how to do it, only you," Daubt said. Olivia's heart plummetted. Wha-?

"I do need a partner," Pitch noted, remaining composed and nonchalant when he really wanted to flash the nastiest grin he had made in years.

Finally, after displaying her signature annoyed face, Olivia asked, "Who's a good camera man?"

"I will do it for you, Olivia," Daubt offered, extending his hand. The High General relinquished her tablet to the Shadow King and pulled out her pack of sticky notes and a pencil from her pocket. After scribbling down what she needed- a red dress- she read it aloud, summoning forth the power of the sticky notes. Taking the newly acquired article of clothing, Olivia left the ballroom for nearest empty room. There, the girl exchanged her usual outfit for the dress.

When she returned to the filming space, she recorded Marissa waltzing with Pitch, both wearing Victorian-esk clothing. The point was reached when she handed over her tablet to Daubt and stood up. Olivia steeled herself. This girl was not going to let anyone scare her. Even if Pitch was holding a rose in between his teeth. Stupid Pitch.

Jack hit the music and Daubt began to record. Pitch began by clapping his hands in the air to the side, causing Olivia to laugh. He then grabbed Olivia's outstretched hand and placed his other arm on her shoulder. The High General copied him.

The first few seconds were awkward as Olivia and Pitch tried to synchronize. However, this happened quickly. Olivia grit her teeth and made to do better than Pitch for the entire dance! As they turned for the first time, Pitch was taken aback at how forceful Olivia was.

"Whoa-ho! A bit forceful, arn't we?" Pitch taunted.

"I'm about to accidentally step all over your feet."

It was over. Olivia's lungs pumped harder than usual as they held the final pose and waited for Daubt to stop recording.

"You are good," the Shadow King said, not as a signal to let go, but as a compliment. However, he had shut off the camera.

Pitch, who was holding Olivia, dropped her on her back.

"Thanks," Olivia said, flapping her arm.

"We have to do this more often," Pitch suggested.

"Suuuuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrre," Olivia reciprocated in a way that ment 'NEVER IN A MILLON YEARS.'

Olivia ascended to her feet. Daubt returned her tablet. Pitch disappeared.

"Where in the name of StarClan did he go now?!" Olivia yelled.

"I am right here," Pitch said, appearing from the shadows in his usual robes. The Boogeyman tossed the clothes he had worn to dance in at Olivia's face. The High General stood there, annoyed, and said, "I have Pitch cooties... Joy."

Pitch rolled his eyes.

Ana and Jack Frost burst into the room, accompanied by several nightmares that reigned them in with tendrils of shadow. The pair stopped, the nightmares flitting about them. Everyone stared at each other.

"Olivia!" Ana exclaimed.

"Ana! Jack!" The High General reciprocated.

"What are YOU doing HERE?" Pitch interrogated.

"We're here to nogotiate with the Shadow King," Ana, Queen of Sparkletopia, explained.

"Yes, I see," the Boogeyman mumbled.

"Olivia, are you okay?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Daubt stepped foreward, holding himself in his business-like manner. "Ana, Queen of Sparkletopia, wishes to nogotiate with me?"

"Yes." Ana countered the Shadow King by approaching him.

"Follow me, everyone. We shall feast in my halls!"

Daubt, who had lost all business - likeness in favor of his usual good natured attitude, gestured grandly and strode out the ballroom door, leaving the others nothing to do but follow.

Olivia much preferred the feed of Sugaria to that of the Darklands. The feast spoken of by Daubt and now lain before the group was a cold, nightmarish concoction (much to Pitch's delight) of some unsightly vegetation and dark meat drenched in an inky sauce. Jack, after staring at the dish as if it had gotten up to dance, began to stab it. Repeatedly.

"What the heck is this?" The Guardian asked.

"Roast unicorn meat and the infamous broccoli paired with a sauce of darkness," Daubt explained. "As everyone knows, broccoli is an excellent tool of torture and great for destroying goodness... unless you cover it in cheese sauce, therefore nulling its evils."

"MY MOM WAS RIGHT!" Olivia exclaimed.

"Anyways," Daubt continued, used to Olivia, "Now that we have some food, let us converse."

Jack, subtly, slid the plate away from himself. "I ate some snake skin on the way here, so I think I'll pass."

Pitch, who was already spearing the dish onto his fork importantly, snapped, "You will eat what you are provided with, Jack, and you will like it."

"Let's just talk."

"Pass the cheese sauce, somebody," Olivia said. "I'm going to destroy evil!"

"Ana, I understand you have the possibility of war hanging over you," the Shadow King began. "By myself, of course. And I understand that you are curious as to why. I will tell you now: it is simply because I find your rule of Sparkletopia tiresome. All this sparkly, mamby pamby nonsense is driving me insane! Besides, I think I am more fit to rule than you."

Ana casually sipped from her glass, which was filled with a liquid that looked suspiciously like oil due to its black color. "That's not very nice."

"Daubt, go sit in a corner and think about your life!" Olivia yelled. Jack snickered.

"No, I won't, actually," the man growled. "I have sacrificed too much to get here, as some of you know." The Shadow King shot Olivia a glance.

"Well, too bad!" Olivia snapped

Daubt lept to his feet, sending his chair tumbling to the ground, much like Pitch, a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...

"I AM THE SHADOW KING! I DEMAND YOU RELINQUISH YOU THRONE OF SPARKLETOPIA AT ONCE!" Daubt shouted. "ORTHERWISE I SHALL COMMAND THE SHADOWS TO... _MURDER YOUR FRIENDS!"_

Ana's eyes exploded in fear, and she set her cup down on the table quickly. After several moments of awkward silence where Olivia observed Ana and Daubt, Daubt panted in anger, Ana's mind flitted from idea to idea, Jack mirrored Olivia, and Pitch smirked in amusement, Ana set upon a decision.

"Very well," the queen consented. "I will give up my throne."

"What!?" Olivia screamed. "Ana, no! Don't!"

"I give it up to Olivia."

Olivia continued staring blankly at Ana. Ana smiled at her friend. "She is now the queen and high general. So, Daubt, please address your concerns with Queen Olivia." Ana then leaned back in her chair, satisfied with her cleverness.

"Daubt, I do not want anything but peace," Olivia stuttered. "However, if you plan to murder your way to the throne or start a war, then expect an unnecessary... war!" Olivia slammed her fist on the table "This is stupid!"

The men in the room stared at Olivia, while Ana smirked at the others.

"Well, we all know who has anger management issues," Pitch taunted, sipping from his goblet of wine.

"Don't get distracted by the power of the muffin, _Pitch ._.. And don't drink and drive... oh, and don't _text _and drive... And don't forget to floss," Olivia prattled on, looking at Daubt.

Pitch's 'eyebrows' raised in mild interest. "Look at you, already so high and mighty."

"Can it, minion," Olivia ordered.

"Minion?" The Nightmare King laughed. "Since when did I become your minion?"

"Just. Now!" Olivia hissed.

"Can Jack be my minion?" Ana exclaimed, her hand shooting into the air.

"Maybe," Jack replied, leaning back in his chair.

"Who's Jack's minion?" Olivia broached.

"Uhhh, Jamie," the Sprite responded after a moment of thought.

"What about Pitch?" Ana prompted.

"I volunteer Jack as tribute," Olivia sniggered.

"Hey!" The Guardian protested, lurching foreward. Ana giggled behind her hand.

"That would be nice. However, he won't comply with my wishes," Pitch commented.

"And I never will," Jack added, glaring at the smirking Boogeyman.

"Well, _if _Jack was Pitch's minion, Jack would be my minion by default because Pitch is already my minion, so what I tell him to do overrides what you tell him to do," Olivia reasoned.

"What about me?" Ana demanded.

"Daubt can be your minion," Olivia suggested.

"I am no one's minion!" Daubt hissed in horror. "I want the throne to Sparkletopia!"

"Nope. End of story." Olivia declared.

"Obviously, you are not going to get their throne, unless you defeat them in battle," the Nightmare King explained to Daubt.

"So, I just murder Olivia," Daubt added.

"Well, I leave the throne to Ana. And if she dies before producing an heir or whatever, then Jack gets it!" Olivia whooped.

"Well, that's who I would have given it to anyway... or one of the other Guardians... or maybe Sophie," Ana reciprocated.

"Please not Pitch," Jack begged.

"I don't trust him enough," Ana confessed. "Sorry, Pitch."

"It's quite alright," Pitch said, a little miffed. "Most people don't, anyways."

"Wonder why," Olivia muttered so that no one could hear her. It needed to come out, but not neccessarily hurt.

"Olivia," Daubt said. "Will you marry me, then?"

"Nope!" Olivia shot back.

"Why?"

"You're ugly. Just kidding. Find your true love and content to rule the Darklands. Now, Pitch, I think you wanted to get your powers back and we all can return home."

"Home?" The Boogeyman echoed. "Are you referring to Sparkletopia or the real world?"

"Both, I think."

"Well... Which would come first?"

"Sparkletopia."

"Of course." Pitch wiped his mouth and rose to his feet. "I believe it is time for us to leave. Olivia- Queen Olivia- must get back to Sparkletopia, and I need my powers back."

"You have my permission to go, Pitch, but Olivia stays here."

"Daubt, need you forget that she is MY prisoner?"

"Then I ask that you hand her over to me."

Nightmare sand encircled Olivia, Ana, and Jack, restraining them in its grasp. "No."

They were gone.


	8. Pitch is Embarrassed

Olivia's head throbbed, but a hand held it in its grasp. Cold pressed in between her head and the hand, like the cheese on a grilled cheese sandwich. The High General opened her eyes, only to find that it was not pleasant to do so, so she left them shut.

"Ah, are we awake now?" a familiar, mocking, British voice asked.

Olivia tried to answer "Yes," but it came out as a scratchy, incoherent syllable, so she cleared her throat to try again. "Yes."

"You hit your head on a rock."

"Of course I did."

"You feelin' alright there?" A new voice cut in.

Olivia attempted at opening her eyes, succeeding by forcing her uncorrelated eyelids to widen. One quick glance around informed her that Ana and Jack were clustered to her right and that Pitch was behind her head, cradling her bleeding noggin. A river of blood gushed onto everything around her: her hair, the ground, Pitch's hand.

"Well, I always wanted red hair when I was younger. Oh, and by the way, Ana you can have your Queenship back. I'm more of a High General sort of person, to tell you the truth."

"Uh, thanks, Olivia, but we need to get back to Sparkletopia as soon as we can. War could escalate any minute now," Ana said, corncern filling her eyes.

Jack pointed out, "It could take weeks to get back on foot, and I can't carry everyone."

"We need our horses back," Olivia concluded.

"Leave that to me," Pitch said, disappearing into the shadows.

Jack dragged himself over to take Pitch's place. "Well, he seems to like you. When you were asleep, he didn't let us touch you."

"It's because I'm nice to him," Olivia told him, but fell into silence, even as the Winter Sprite looked to her for further explanation.

"He probably didn't want us to hurt her more or something," Ana guessed.

"Or he needs me to help him get back his powers," Olivia countered. With a exhale, she leaned back.

"Sooo... what was your journey like?" Jack broached.

"Emotional, but fun, actually," Olivia grinned. "I have changed a bit. More aware of others' pain."

"Really? That's nice."

"How are the others? Did you guys do anything interesting without me?"

"Oh, yeah, tons of stuff. Jamie and I were Ana's doctors, Ana and Bunnymund painted and stuff, and North showed the kids all this weaponry."

"Don't forget Cupcake riding the unicorn after you and Pitch. She claimed that you were kidnapped by the Boogeyman," Ana added.

Olivia laughed.

"I don't have to. She would probably jump off a cliff if I asked her to," Pitch claimed, returning on a nightmare. Thunder, Sir Creampuff, Breeze, and their various supplies were in a caravan behind him.

"Only if you or Jack caught me," Olivia amended. "But, then again, I might not."

Pitch dismounted his huffing beast and returned to Olivia, swatting the air in a motion signalling Jack to move. The Guardian lifted himself over about a foot, keeping close while Pitch accessed the High General's wound. After a few moments, he stood up to acquire something from Thunder's pack. It was a piece of black clothing- Olivia's black leggings. Pitch conjured a nightmare sand knife and used the newly created weapon to shred the cloth into thick strips. With these, he wrapped Olivia's head to stanch the flow of blood.

"This is weird," Olivia muttered.

"Better weird than dead," Pitch grumbled.

"Thank you," Olivia said, and then noted, "This is the third time you've saved me or been concerned about my health."

"Well," Pitch laughed coldly, "You seem to enjoy being rescued."

"I was just thanking you," she rolled her eyes. "And I am not a damsel in distress! YOU teleported us here, anyways!"

"Oh, so this is my fault?"

"No! It was an accident! Just don't call me a-" a shudder passed through her. "- girly girl!"

"Aw, so you love me? Your prince in shining armor?"

"How about a pain in the 'a' word!"

The Nightmare King threw back his head and barked out a laugh. "Olivia is in love!"

"Ugh! Stop bullying me, Pitch!"

"_You _should stop flirting with me!"

"Wait..."

"What? Going to-"

"You! Like! ME!"

Pitch stared at her.

Olivia's sly smirk grew on her face, and she raised her eyebrows in a repetative motion.

Ana and Jack, over the whole conversation, had watched back and forth at who spoke, but now shifted their vision between both Pitch and Olivia, not wanting to miss who struck first.

"What? What are you talking about?" Pitch spat. "Are you out of your mind? How hard did you hit your head?!"

"Scared?"

Pitch's mouth hung agape, before his expression transformed into disgust. "What sort of- How can you assu- Where did you acquire such a- Are you out of your mind!?"

"You _lerrrrrrrrrve _me!" Olivia crowed. "Pitchy Poo lerves me!"

Pitch sat there, standing the taunting.

"Do... you really...?" Jack trailed off, only to have Pitch ignore him.

Olivia studied the Boogeyman, who looked a little sad. "You okay? I mean, if you... Uh, I made a wild guess, since you kind of have a heart of steel... and you were _freakishly _nice to me, all considering..."

"I-I do love you, I do... but I have no room for weakness."

"A weakness is simply a strength you have no use for. Yet."

"Who's quote is THAT?"

"Mine."

There was silence to follow afterward. Pitch continued to fiddle with the makeshift bandages, Jack looked on mischeviously in wonder, and Ana looked at Jack, demanding answers to her unspoken questions through her eyes. Olivia retreated within her own mind, sifting through her evidence: saving her on the cliff, now, considering letting her go when they reached the Darklands, not killing her over the course of the journey, showing, just barely, concern for her... it all demonstrated _some _sort of correlation. Pitch had even admitted it a few seconds ago! Olivia suspected that the Nightmare King, over all of these centuries, still missed his daughter and the sensation of being loved. So, when she had shown up, and later promised to help him sort out his life problems, the Boogeyman had latched on to any kind of compassion sent his way. Being alone all that time had deprived him of these emotions, like a dry sponge, and when it came to him, he absorbed it.

Olivia then did something she would have previously considered an act of treason against goodness itself- the High General reached out and took Pitch's hand. Locking her fingers in his, she closed her eyes. Fingers stroked her hair.

Ana and Jack gazed on in wonder and shock. This. Was. Not. Possible!

Pitch permitted a minuscule smile to tweak his face, but it faultered as he thought on. He was afraid. Sort of. Maybe a great deal. Should he shut out his feelings and not hurt anyone? Olivia didn't seem to think so. Here he was, holding her hand that she offered. Should he allow himself to care about her? There were so many questions and not an answer to a single one.

"Do you love me?" Pitch whispered.

"I care about your happiness, so what do you think?"

"Does that mean you want me to love you too?"

"You are allowed your freedom. I want you to be free. No Fearlings or nightmares in your head, no burdens of hatred and rage."

"What is love?"

"It has many forms, but it's all the same- when you care for someone enough that you want them above all else, yet would do anything to make them happy."

"How can I trust myself? How can I know love from hate? Good from bad?"

"Hate is a tool developed by humans to distance themselves from each other. When you hate, you disassociate yourself with a person or an object, usually because of what they do."

Pitch scooped Olivia up after signalling to Jack and Ana to mount their rides- Jack taking Breeze, and Ana taking Sir Creampuff (who found himself glad to have the queen instead of Sir Grumpypants!). Pitch hoisted Olivia onto his nightmare, leaving Thunder rider-less.

"I see," he said, mounting. "Now, rest."

The Nightmare King sped off, leaving Ana and Jack to keep his outrageous pace. Barren landscapes- rocky soil, scraggly trees, strewn boulders- all blurred by in the wild speed of Pitch's race across the Darklands. The Boogeyman grinned in the ecstasy of the wind parting in his wake and moving at a breakneck pace. He could outrun his problems, if he wanted. The edge of the Untamed Forest lurked ahead of them. As it closed in, the Nightmare King decreased his speed, until he stopped altogether at the verge. Ana and Jack caught up with the exhilarated pair in several minutes. Pitch had dismounted, lifted Olivia down, and was now transferring the High General to Thunder. His powers would diminsh the second he set foot over the Darklands's boarder. Climbing up behind her, Pitch set off again, leading the cluster along without so much as a word.

Jack shot Ana a look as they thundered along that meant, 'is he acting strangely or what?' Ana flicked her eyes open in response. The journey through the woods died down to a brisk, purposeful trot, but kept its drivenness. Night fell as the quartet emerged into the open air before the edge of the mountain pass.

"We can stop now," Pitch said.

"You sure?" Jack challenged, sarcastically. "You're determined to get to Sugaria in less than two days."

Pitch ignored the Winter Spirit and attempted to carry Olivia over to a peaceful spot. However, the High General waved him away and stumbled off Thunder. The girl walked towards the supplies, took her sleeping bag, and wandered over to a comfortable spot to settle down into sleep. Ana recieved Pitch's unused hammock, as they had left their sleeping goods with the knights in an attempt to make haste. Jack and Pitch kept a vigil over their two human friends.

* * *

Olivia woke up. She had been jarred from sleep by the bouncing underneath her. Was the mountain errupting, again? A hand held her shoulder as the High General shook. It was not the ground beneath her moving, but the nightmare of Pitch. No one had bothered to wake her and instead took off with her still asleep.

The High General rolled her eyes. All of a sudden, Pitch was playing the role of the overprotective father or the knight in shining armor. Typical.

"Good morning," he greeted her.

"Hi," Olivia reciprocated. "Can I drive?"

"... I'm sure you can."

_"May I?"_

"No. I have it under control." He laughed. "Never fear."

"Uh huh. Suuuuuuuurrrrrrrre. Yeah. You got this."

"We are crossing over the mountains as we speak."

"Where are the others?"

Pitch remained quiet for a moment, before he inhaled, muttering, "Oh, somewhere behind us. That Frost boy must be slowing them down. Solidifying water particles and such... slowing them down."

Giving a laugh, Olivia facepalmed herself. "Is it sad that I find that funny? That I actually get the joke?"

"Maybe," Pitch responded, petting Olivia's hair. "It wasn't a joke though."

"Just askin', but why are you stroking my hair?"

"Oh, sorry." The Nightmare King's fingers curled back, an awkward look across his face.

"It's okay, I just asked. You know, most people don't randomly stroke people!"

Pitch gave a moment of blank staring. He dislodged the distractions from his mind by shaking his head and waving his hand. "Of course. My apologies."

"If it makes you feel less stressed or whatever, go ahead, but you know, it's just a bit awkward."

Pitch gave a Olivia a probing look intermixed with confusion. "Why?"

"I don't know, you're the one stro-"

"No, why do you care about me?"

Olivia pondered in silence. "Do you want to be condemned to wander the Earth alone and unseen, spreading fear and nightmares everywhere only to lose to the Guardians all the time? I mean, what could you have done to deserve this? Fight the Dream Pirates and Fearlings to keep them from doing wrong? How is that fair?"

"Life isn't fair."

"It should be, and can be. I fight for it to be in any way I can."

Pitch smirked in amusement. "Don't waste your time! Who cares if others suffer? Their lives aren't worth your time."

"You are. How is that any different?"

Pitch howled in laughter. "Me?! I have what I need- power!"

Olivia rolled her eyes. "How dense are you? There is actually power in everything. Anything has the capacity to do amazing things! You're just too blind to see it! You're even too blind to see your own powers!"

Pitch mouthed 'My own powers...?' with a face of confusion. The Boogeyman glared at Olivia. "Are you suggesting I have possessed my abilities this WHOLE TIME?!"

Olivia scowled. "No. I mean you can't see out of your own darkness and at your own... whatever. I'm not really sure what you have. I just sort of hit an abyss when I try explain the worth of people to you. But finding your sparkle is not my job, it's yours."

Pitch watched her without much response. Another speech wasted on closed ears.

"But how? How can understand if I don't already, even after you explain it to me over and over again?"

"It will come when you're ready. I promise."

The pair thundered over the mountain in silence.

Ana and Jack caught up with Olivia and Pitch later that night. The Nightmare King was guarding against outsiders while Olivia stared at the night sky. Nightmares encircled the makeshift camp, and Breeze and Jack nearly rammed into one. Olivia bolted up, while Pitch summoned his scythe. Ana yelped and shouted, "It's just us! Don't kill us!"

"Oho! Are you scared?" Pitch taunted, slipping his weapon back into the shadows. Ana's eyes widened, but then they lowered to slits as she stuck out her tongue.

Olivia reached over and punched Pitch. In the gut. Bickering erupted from their mouths.

Ana and the Guardian dismounted, unpacked their rides, and set up for the night. The queen and High General both dreamed of their return.

* * *

The ride back to Sparkletopia continued as thus: riding all day, resting by night. After several days journey, the travellers caught sight of the gates. The sunset painted the skies as Pitch, Ana, Jack, and Olivia rode through the streets of Sugaria, now close to deserted.

The equestrians, with the exception of Pitch's nightmare, were housed in the stables. The travellers entered the palace, where they shuffled off to clean up and fling themselves down on a real bed. Olivia recieved the medical treatment she needed, and, afterwards, the High General snuggled into the fluffy, white comforter and fell into a light sleep.

The dawn of the next day was in preparation to show itself once more when Olivia awoke. The girl whirled out of bed and scampered off to Pitch's room. After knocking lightly and being met by silence, she hammered on the door. There was no response, again. Olivia tested the door, which was unlocked. After widening a space enough for her to slip her head through, she spied on the Boogeyman.

Pitch was half asleep, but had been tugged back to full consciousness at the High General's pounding on the door. "What are you doing here?" He demanded the face that appeared.

"I don't know," she replied. "I just thought I should check on you. You know, danger sensors."

The Nightmare King sat up. "Well, they must be skewed. Probably the result of your head injury."

Olivia was silent.

"Are you afraid that something bad is going to happen?"

"No, I had to come check on you. Anything could happen. I'm sure you're a wanted man in the Darklands."

Pitch laughed. "Wanted man? I am Pitch! Besides, Daubt is obviously too naïve to be able to do _anything _to _me._"

"He can track you through shadows, I bet. Arrogance can lead to your downfall."

"Well, thank you for your continuous wisdom. Now-" the man rose from the bed and sauntered over to Olivia. "-Why don't we get YOU back to sleep. No running around with a head injury, miss."

The Nightmare King took the girl's shoulder and steered her back to her own room, where she climbed back under the covers and placed the pillows over her head. "Good morning, I suppose. Sweet dreams, Olivia." The door clicked shut, leaving Olivia alone.

"Oh, Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream. Make it the most normal I've ever seen." Olivia sang in a sort of mumble. And while Sandy did not hear her, the Guardian did stop by in a fashionable time and send her to Dreamland. Olivia's dreams were usually very vivid and strange, except this one- it was a dream about Olivia singing.


	9. More Stupid Nicknames and Conversations

Jack awoke to find his staff at the foot of his bed. Scrambling around in the covers, he wriggled down to the edge of the bed to grasp his staff. Simultaneously, a charge of energy and cool surged through the Winter Spirit. Jack grinned and shot off, carried by the wind, down the halls. Spiralling through the air, Jack's mouth opened to let loose a whoop of exhilaration. The Winter Sprite nearly knocked down Ana, who flattened herself against the wall as he passed. Jack laughed as he swooped through the hallways and surprised civilians that meandered down the halls. The Guardian zipped out of a window and into the air. Jack swooped throught the air, completing several loop-the-loops.

Finally, the hyper, teenage spirit landed on the windowsill of Ana's room.

"Ana!" Jack called. The queen, who had raced back to her quarters, raced to the window, answering, "Yes?"

Jack leaned foreward and a popped a kiss on her nose.

The Winter Spirit tilted back, accessed the results of his actions, and left, laughing at the stunned Ana.

* * *

Olivia could not stand a second more of pretending to be asleep. The High General threw off the blankets and pillows, and her feet thudded onto the floor. With a yawn and a stretch, Olivia ambled out of her room and went off in search of Jack or Ana.

Neither Ana nor Jack could been seen, so Olivia decided to search for the Jamie Bennett and his friends. The children were sitting in the dining hall, munching dejectedly on cakes.

"Hey, guys, how's it going?" The teenager broached as she sauntered in and plopped down in a chair beside Cupcake.

The kids wore mostly suspicious faces, although Monty looked a bit anxious to be in the presence of one so beat up looking and who had gone off with Pitch.

"Are you guys okay?" The High General inquired, worry etching into her features.

"I thought you were kidnapped by the Boogeyman." Cupcake said in a challenging tone.

"No, I was sent to make sure he didn't terrorize any villages on the way to the Darklands," Olivia corrected her.

"So, you're a good guy?" Monty exclaimed.

"Sure, I guess." Olivia shrugged in half agreement as she dumped rainbows on her plate.

"Are you Pitch's henchman?" Claude giggled.

"Henchman?" Olivia echoed, setting down the fork she had speared rainbows onto with. "Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no! _He's my _minion. I would never be his minion or servitor."

"He's your minion!?" Jamie ejaculated, slamming his palms on the table and leaning foreward on them. All of the other kids turned to stared at Olivia.

"Yeah. He won't admit it, though."

A cacophony of questions and exclamations filled the atmosphere as the children attempted to gain more information.

"How did you do it?"

"Is that possible?"

"Can I be your minion!?"

"You can be my minion, Monty!"

"Not you Claude, Olivia!"

"Can I help you?"

"What did you do to make him your servant?"

"Can I make my little brother my minion?"

"Hey!"

"Guys, guys, calm down! I'll tell you if you'll be quiet and listen!"

The noise went into a decresendo, allowing silence to hang its drapes in the grand hall again.

"Okay... um, well, over the course of our adventure, I was able to get him to tell about his past, which I already knew, but I didn't want to seem like a stalker or something. You know, that would be creepy. So, when he tells me though, I get a viewpoint as to how he feels about his situation- being the Boogeyman and stuff. I decide that I'm going to be his friend and help him lead a happier existance, but you know how annoying and stubborn he can be. Well, we were negotiating with Daubt, the Shadow King, and Pitch said something smart alecky, so I told him to "can it, minion," and officially made him my minion. Any questions, comments, or concerns?"

"Yes," Jamie said. "How do you get him to do what you want?"

"MANIPULATION! MWA HA HA HA HA!" Olivia yelled, tossing back her head and raising her palms to towards to ceiling. When she resumed her normal position, she laughed and said, "Actually, he doesn't do what I tell him. But I haven't really told him to do too much, so..." Olivia shrugged. "But if anyone wants to know, Jack may or may not be Ana's minion, Jamie, you're officially Jack's minion, aaaaaaaaandddddddd... that's about it."

"Wow," Jamie said, leaning back. "When-"

A guard sprinted into the room, disheveled. "It's-it's Pitch!"

Olivia jumped to her feet. "What is it?"

"It's the Shadow King! He's kidnapped Pitch!"

They all had a beat of silence to comprehend the information, until the kids begans to whoop and cheer. Olivia laughed at their excitement. The guard exclaimed, "What are we going to do?"

"I'll go after him. Ready Thunder for me," Olivia ordered. "And send a message to Queen Ana where I've gone."

"Yes M'lady," the guard said, turning and sprinting out the door.

Olivia grabbed a fistful of rainbows (to cram in her mouth, of course) and began to go to get ready. However, Jamie and a few of his friends scurried after her with protests of 'Wait!' This caused the High General to slow her pace to an eventual halt. "What is it?"

"Take us with you!" Claude begged.

"Please!" Pippa added.

Olivia mulled it over in her mind. "I really want to... but I don't know... maybe if there was an adult going with us or Jack..."

"Take Jack! Take Jack!" They chanted.

"This is about speed, guys. Bringing all of you isn't an option this time. I'm sorry, but don't worry. I'll be back in a flash! Then, I'll teach you to make fun of Pitch, 'kay?"

The light dimmed in the faces of the children. Jamie stepped up to Olivia. "Promise?"

Olivia grinned. "Cross my heart and hope to die, stick a needle in my eye!" She recited as she made a crossing motion over her chest. With that, the High General disappeared in a heartbeat.

Jamie turned back to his friends and sister.

"You're not going after her, are you?" Cupcake asked, sensing something from Jamie and the contemplative look on his face.

"You guys will come with me, right?" Jamie said, his face sending smiles and wide eyes around the room.

"I can get some unicorns," Cupcake sighed.

"I'll get the food!" Monty shouted, scurrying off to the kitchens.

"Jamie, you'll get in trouble!" Pippa hissed.

"I know, but we have to help!" the boy insisted. "Olivia's gonna need some backup to save Pitch!"

"Why should we help him? He's evil!" Claude exclaimed.

"But Olivia isn't!" Jamie reasoned. "If you want, you guys can stay here with Sophie, but I want to help!"

"Alright, we'll come!" Caleb conceded. His twin nodded. "Pippa?"

"Fine," she rolled her eyes.

The kids went of, planning and gathering supplies to support them on their journey.

* * *

Olivia thundered along the path that she had followed along days before. Thankfully, she rode a horse named Thunder, so the 'thundering along' part wasn't too hard. Not wanting to stop, the High General slowed her mount down to a stop. Her head pounded and the night had cloaked the earth in shadows for a long while. Stumbling away from Thunder to the soft ground below her, Olivia collapsed into a tired heap, slipping into sleep. Before she made the final transition to sleep, she thought she heard the faint crackle of leaves.

_It's probably just Thunder..._

* * *

"Is she awake?" A voice brought Olivia into consciousness. A finger pushed her right eyelid open to view a blurry vision of a boy. The High General stiffened in fear, until it was consumed by relief.

"Oh, good. I was wondering when you guys were gonna show up," she whispered. Olivia sat up, surrounded by Jamie, Cupcake, Claude, Caleb, Pippa, and Cupcake.

"You knew we were coming?" Jamie said.

"Yeah! I know just how impossible the call to adventure is!" The High General stood up, brushed herself off, and walked over to Thunder. Hoisting herself into the saddle, she asked, "Ready to go?"

"What about sleeping and breakfast?" Caleb yawned.

"Did you travel all night?" Olivia exclaimed.

"No, we took turns driving and sleeping," explained Monty.

"So, do it again after breakfast," Olivia suggested, dismounting. They all gathered together to recieve their own rainbows and liquid glitter to gulp down. After a brief breakfast, the travellers set off at a racing pace.

At the pace Olivia set, she and her band of tag alongs were able to reach the Darklands in a couple days. There, they hid their horse and unicorns in a safe location, preferring to enter on foot. As they snuck through Daubt's palace, their group met not a single soul. When they found the dungeons (through pure luck, aided by a sliver of logical reasoning), they found Pitch.

"Oh, my," Pitch chuckled. "You brought all my little friends to rescue me, Olivia? How charming!"

"Drink your glitter and shut up!" The High General hissed. "How do we get you out?"

The Nightmare King was bound in shackles of starlight and sunshine. The cell was crafted out of stone infused with moonlight. Although he was his usual mocking self, the man looked shaken and weak.

"If you want me to tell you how to free myself, I have to be able to talk."

"Right, now, where did Daubt place the keys?"

"He has them, of course."

"Of course."

"Might I suggest you negotiate with him? That is what he wanted."

"Too late!"

Olivia slammed into the bars of the cell. Since the bars were constructed of light, she flew through them and bowled into Pitch. The Boogeyman sat up, groaning. Olivia lay sprawled to the side.

"Remind me to never do that again!" Olivia yelled, slapping her palm on the floor.

"Agreed," Pitch moaned. "What is wrong with you? Do you want the guards to imprison you, too?"

"How can we free you from _sunshine?_"

"I don't know. You tell me; you're the sunshine expert."

"Maybe if you could create a nightmare samurai sword, we could cut you loose?"

"If I could! Why do you think I've been imprisoned in this fashion?"

"Try."

"I already have."

The Nightmare King slumped in defeat. Olivia grabbed his hand and examined his hand and wrist.

"Here's your problem: your wrists are disproportionate to your hands," Olivia said. The children giggled.

Pitch rolled his eyes. "You have mentioned this before."

"Daaaaaaang. Your finger are so long! You have a pianist's dream fingers! Don't worry, they're amazing, so chill out. Pitch, can you try to summon a weapon again? Just try?"

"Whatever it takes to put into your pretty little head that I CAN'T!" The Nightmare King held out his hands, sending his power through them. A jagged disk of solidified nightmare sand appeared in his hands. His face betrayed mild surprise as Olivia shot him a smirk. "Apparently, my new catchphrase is 'I told you so, Pitch!'"

The Nightmare King handed the weapon to Olivia, who began sawing through his bonds of light. Once freed, Pitch was able to create a somewhat larger nightmare weapon- an axe- to hack the bars apart. After taking the nightmare dohicky from the High General, Pitch stashed his weapons in his cloak.

"Alright, let's see if you can sneak out without alerting the guards," Pitch challenged.

Olivia motioned for the group to follow her down the hall and up the stairs. The mix matched congregation tip toed (more or less) back through the halls to an exit, where they stole away to their horses.

Once they had reached a safe point, Olivia snickered, "So, the damsel saves Captain Sparkle Butt from the Darklands!"

"Captain... Sparkle Butt?" Pitch echoed in distaste. "Another nickname?"

The kids began to giggle and snigger, causing Pitch's anger to flare at the High General and her sly smirk. The Boogeyman, who conjured a nightmare to ride, growled, "Can't you think of a more pleasing nickname for me, if at all?"

"How does Mr. Doctor Professor Lord High General Darth Pitchy Poo Hot Tub Guy, the Nightmare King and Boogeyman sound?"

A fresh wave of snickers flickered through the crowd as they mounted. Pitch looked stricken. "Oh my God."

Olivia fell into silent laughter.

Once the kids were placed on a unicorn, the group could continue on their journey.

* * *

Olivia lay awake, studying the stars that mottled the inky blue sky. Jamie, Cupcake, Claude, Pippa, Caleb, and Monty snored, softly or loudly, in a scattered clump a few feet away. Pitch was sitting beside the High General a little ways off.

"You have been awake for some time now," the Nightmare King remarked, spooking the girl in her silent thoughts. "Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

"My mind won't shut down," the Olivia explained.

"Aw, would you like a lullaby?" Pitch cooed.

Olivia zipped up her open sleeping bag, snuggled down, and turned over while simultaneously replying, "Yes, please."

Pitch eyes exploded in fear and confusion.

Away from the sight of the Boogeyman, Olivia smiled enough to power the sun for a couple extra centuries.

Pitch's laugh began to build and tumbled out from his chest, up his throat, and out of his stretched mouth in a crescendo. "You are... the craziest person I have ever met!" His voice fell from its vast size to a moderate whisper. "Please, tell me you are playing with me."

Olivia rolled over, flashing the Nightmare King a look. "Of course I was! But I do want to hear you sing."

"I don't."

"Oh..." Olivia's expression exchanged the crestfallen look of disappointment for a mischevious grin while she sang, "Do you wanna build a snowman?"

Pitch glanced up at her, a face of curiosity playing across his features. "You sing?"

"All. The. Time! Do you wanna hear a so-ong?!"

The Nightmare King paused a moment to thoroughly examine his options. "I doubt you will let me go unscathed. Go ahead."

"It's time to try defying gravity. I think I'll try defying gravity and you can't pull me down!"

The girl left him in a moment of silence to digest. "That's it? That's your song?"

"It's just part of a song. If you don't like it... well, too bad!"

"You're an idiot."

"You're a potatoe. Po-ta-toe!"

"_I'm _a potatoe?" The Boogeyman's thin, patronizing smile slithered onto his face. "What could that mean this time?"

"You're a potatoe. That's all it means."

"Oh, I see. You're mad. Do you want me to sing back?"

Olivia sang, "Small potatoes, small potatoes, small potatoes, small potatoes, small po-ta-a-toes!"

Pitch chuckled. "Are you hungry? Why are you such a blithering moron right now?"

"Why are you such a potatoe?"

"Okay, now you are simply fraying my nerves."

"Your potatoe nerves?"

"What is with this sudden obsession with potatoes?"

"Potatoe starts with pee." The High General sniggered, leaving Pitch in momentary confusion, until he understood. "Oh, grow up!"

"Never!"

"And why not?"

"Because..."

"Because...? Specify, child."

"Growing up leads to boredom. Boredom leads to depression. Depression leads to binge eating. Binge eating leads to weight gain. Weight gain leads to Jabba the Hutt-like behavior. Jabba the Hutt-like behavior leads to being choked with a chain. Don't be choked by a chain- don't grow up."

"Well, that's it. I have decided to never speak to you again."

"Oh, goody! I can say whatever I want and you can't say anything back! Your dress is the only scary thing about you! You have unnaturally long fingers. Have you ever considered taking Exlax? Because you look pretty constipated at this point. How do you style your hair? Everyone thinks you uses hair gel. Where did you learn to dance? Can you teach me? Have you ever seen someone perform open heart surgery? Oh! Did you learn how to dance from fighting during the Golden Age? Did you know Uranus is a planet? Do you have a secret identity? Can you-"

"SHUT UP!"

"No."

Pitch glared at Olivia. "Why... are you set on irritating me to the last breath?!" He hissed.

Olivia fished around her brain for an explanation. Instead, an idea popped into her brain. "I will change once you change."

"What?" The Nightmare King growled.

"Look. I annoy you, right?" Olivia began.

"Correct," Pitch agreed through gritted teeeth.

"Well, the only reason I do is because you are mean."

There was silence while the man turned away before the girl continued. "I will only change my attitude towards you if you-" she poked his chest. "-start being more open and understanding. There's a lot to like about you, but when Captain Grumpy Pants is in control, it can drive anyone as upbeat as myself bonkers."

"You're telling me the only reason you drive me crazy is because I am mean. How so?" Pitch reciprocated.

"No one enjoys being on the recieving end of pain and fear. Search your heart. You understand. Don't you wish no one else would have to feel the agony of losing someone they love or from their whole happiness being torn apart?" Olivia pleaded.

"I needed somewhere for the pain to go."

"Go ahead. Tell me everything. I won't judge you or hurt you or anything."

"I don't understand. I can't seem to understand what you want me to do or be or what!"

"Just... treat others the way you want to be treated."

"I did that once and look where it got me! My family killed or lost to me!"

"But being mean hasn't gotten you anywhere, either. You're not dealing with Dream Pirates, Fearlings, and Nightmares as enemies anymore. You're their king. Command them. Use the situation to your advantage. Combine being a valiant hero and being the Nightmare King."

Pitch laughed and nodded. "I will."

Olivia felt an emotion akin to a mixture of surprise, fear, and excitement pulse through her stomach. "Really!?"

"I will."

"Please, tell me you're not lying."

"Lying? Why?"

"..."

"Olivia! Can't you trust me?"

"No offense, but I'm not used to placing my trust in anyone."

"Well, I understand that."

Olivia's emotion flared into fear as Pitch pressed closer. The Nightmare King turned to face her again. "Are you okay?"

"Nothing. You surprised me."

"O-oh! I see." The Nightmare King leaned in so that his face was inches from Olivia's. "You're afraid."

The High General stared into the eyes of the Boogeyman, which sparkled with amusement and a slight arrogance. The closeness only fired up the girl's uneasiness. Olivia held the gaze while she mentally calmed herself. "Yes. You are a little too comfortable with getting in my personal space. I'm protective of myself. And all considering, that's good, as many people are too flaunty sometimes."

Pitch wrapped an arm around Olivia's shoulder. "I promise I won't hurt you. Or make you feel uncomfortable. Well, maybe." Olivia turned to hug Pitch.

"Goodnight, Sparkle Butt."

The girl flopped over and adjusted herself for sleep

"Goodnight... And sweet dreams, Liv."


	10. Ye Old Cake War

**I would like to mention that this is my most favoritest chapter EVER (towards the end). That cake was delicious, by the way.**

Pitch was alone in consciousness. Olivia, Jamie, and the other kids were snoozing away. With one last glance at the High General, Pitch stood and summonned an assortment of his dark, shadowy followers. Nightmares, Fearlings, Nightmare Men, and Dream Pirates slunk from the shadows and intwined with Pitch and each other. However, the man took less pleasure in their company than usual.

The Nightmare King searched his mind for a place to begin. Or even what to say.

"So, even after all this time, I still cling to hope. Hope for goodness. For freedom... to be rid of YOU."

The creatures watched the man with blank faces. A Dream Pirate stepped foreward, saying, "Are you saying, my lord, that you wish to be without us?" A hint of confused challenge rang in his tone.

"Yes..." Pitch agreed, his voice rising, until his spurt of energy left him. He sat down. "... and no."

Pitch's nightmare servants watched their king and exchanged glances with one another. "If I may offer you advice, I say abondon these worthless humans and leave for the Darklands," the same pirate advised. "And kill the girl."

Pitch's head shot up to stare at the pirate. "The girl?"

"She is weakness."

"... A weakness is a strength I can't live without," Pitch murmurred.

"You can," a Nightmare Man hissed. "You can!"

"Leave me alone!" Pitch pleaded. "Leave. Me. Alone!"

Olivia stirred, and she sat up. "What is it? Who's the-" The girl's eyes exploded. "Dream Pirates!" The High General scrambled out of her sleeping bag. Letting loose a crazed screech of, "Wither in the light of the day star!" Olivia charged after the nightmarish companions of the Nightmare King. She shrieked in her hatred for the creatures and lept at them.

"Kill her!" One of the Dream Pirates roared.

Olivia thrashed, kicked, clawed... whatever she could do to inflict a wound on the creatures. A nightmare nipped the back of her shirt and dragged her to Pitch. The Boogeyman placed his hands on her shoulders to hold her down and to calm her. As the High General shouted, "Let me go!" the children, who had been woken in varying degrees, bolted up. They clambered over to check out the scene.

"Calm down. Caaaalm down. Easy... Eeeeasy." Olivia stared into the eyes of Pitch.

"They are evil. I want to kill them. But I don't want to anyone to be robbed of their right to live. But neither should you lack freedom. What should I do?" The girl said.

"Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh," the Nightmare King hushed her, taking Olivia in his arms. "You are safe."

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeew! That's gross!" Monty exclaimed. Cupcake slapped her palm over his mouth. "Don't ruin the moment."

"The great Pitch rises again," a Fearling sneered. "But how can you protect these children?"

"Can I just say," Olivia remarked. "You are the most idiotic... thing I have ever had the displeasure to meet. Do you know who you're fighting? A General of the Golden Age armies, kids with kick-butt nightmare fighting powers of belief, and the deranged authoress. Do you _really_ want to go there?"

The nightmare creatures watched in silence as Olivia pulled away from Pitch, took up a sword, and advanced up to face them. "I really don't want to hurt someone. But I will if I need to."

As a pirate growled at her, the High General poked his nose, sending him crumbling into shimmering, golden Dreamsand. "I believe that one's called The Jamie." Olivia glanced back at her companions. "Am I right?" She prompted.

"Um, yeah!" Jamie responded after a moment of ponderment.

"What are you going to do, then, Authoress?" A Dream Pirate challenged.

"Oh, nothing. Just invite you to banish yourselves to frolick in a meadow with unicorns and butterflies," Olivia replied.

"Pitch," the High General continued, turning to the Boogeyman. "Do you know how the sunlight will affect them?"

"Destroys them," the Nightmare King blurted.

"Oh, good," Olivia reciprocated. "Then we let them feel the dawn on their skins and see how ferocious they feel."

The girl returned to her spot, settling in on her sleeping bag. Olivia glared at the creatures while she instructed the kids and Pitch to go back to sleep.

"I don't sleep," the Boogeyman reminded her.

"Maybe that's why you're so grumpy," Olivia mumbled. "I'll keep watch. I'll wake you if I need to."

"Are you forgetting what I just told you?" Pitch said. "I. Don't. Sleep!"

"Rock-a-bye, Pitchy, in the tree top," Olivia sang softly with a smirk on her face. "When the wind blows, the cradle will rock."

"Oh, why do I even bother?"

"'Night, Pitchy Poo. Sweet dreams."

* * *

Olivia squeezed the dark chocolate icing onto the three tier, dark chocolate cake. After a final flourish, the girl placed the pastry pipe tip in her mouth to suck out the last of the sugary, delicious icing. She, Pitch, and the kids had returned to Sparkletopia, where the High General was concocting a scheme... and a cake...

"Hey, Jack, will you help me move this cake into the dining hall?" The High General broached.

"Yeah!" The Winter Spirit, who had been raiding the mixing bowl for leftover icing, agreed. The two hoisted the cake into the air and carried it down the hall, into the dining area. After placing it on the table and offering her thanks to Jack, Olivia cut a slice off the cake and skipped off with an accompanying plate and fork. Pitch nearly rammed into the girl as he made his way to the dining hall.

"Oh, hey, Pitchy Poo!" Olivia chirped. "I was looking for you." The High General lifted the plate of confectionary bakery goods to the Nightmare King's face. The Boogeyman drew back in surprise and slight distaste. "I made you a cake!"

"Oh, well, um, thank you, my dear..."

Those were the last words he ever said.

Olivia smashed the cake in his face.

Pitch clawed the icing and cake off of his face, demanding, "What was that for!?"

Olivia awkwardly handed him the plate and fork, speeding off in the direction of the great hall. Pitch flung the utinsles to the side as he sprinted after her. After grouning to a halt, Pitch slipped into the shadows and raced along to the closed off dining hall. Olivia was perched on the table beside the cake. Pitch rose out of the shadows, arms raised at the elbows. "What are you going to do, now?"

Olivia acquired a mock thinking stance. "Hm, well, you know, I never really thought this far."

"Really?" Pitch taunted, drawing closer in a painfully slow pace. "Well, now you have nowhere to go, nowhere to hide, and no one to come save you. Boo hoo." He rubbed his imaginary tears in his eyes. "And now, I'm going to destroy this cake."

"And then what?"

"Make you clean up the mess!"

"Sounds terrifying."

Pitch looked as if for a moment he was going to fuss at her about that, but the annoyance and anger dripped back off his face.

"Hey, guys," Olivia shouted over her shoulder while she grabbed a fistful of cake. "FOOD FIGHT!"

Pitch only had a precious few seconds to be confused and then terrified. Olivia hurled the clump of sugary food at the Nightmare King while Ana, Jack, Pippa, Claude, Caleb, Jamie, Cupcake, Sandy, Sophie, North, and Tooth scrambled out of their hiding spots to pelt Pitch with the cakes they had with them. Bunnymund stood in a corner, leaning against the wall, under a banister (of Olivia's design) labeled 'Party Poopers,' rolling his eyes and observing the chaos. However, he did laugh at the sight until Jack dragged him over into the mess, where he joined in pummeling his enemy with cake.

Pitch kneeled with an arm raised to block the attack. "No fair!" He wailed.

"Agreed," Olivia said, extending a hunk of cake to Tooth's face. "Kids against adults!"

The kids (Jamie and Co.) turned to the nearest Guardian (except Jack) and flung cake at them.

Ana raced up to Pitch and mashed her whole cake (what was left) into the Boogeyman's face. "And that was for the aliens!"

"Your fear of aliens isn't my fault!" The Nightmare King protested, spewing chocolate cake from his mouth. Pitch bent down, scooped up some cake from the ground, slipped up to Olivia, and hurled it at the High General. With a yelp, the girl spun around to face the smirking Pitch. Olivia lept up onto the table, where she ripped a hunk off the dessert item and licked part of the icing.

"Are you going to eat it or play with it?" Pitch inquired, circling the edge of the furniture. He paused. "Wait,-" He glanced at the ground. "-that did not sound right..."

Olivia laughed and tossed the cake at the man. After taking another chunk, Olivia hopped down from the table and approached her food fight enemy. "You never got to try my cake."

Before Pitch could say a word of protest or agreement, Olivia stuffed it in his mouth. The Boogeyman hacked out most of the dessert, but swallowed a bit.

"I regret to say that it was delicious," Pitch coughed, wiping his mouth on his arm. Olivia was grinning at him. "What?" He demanded.

"N-nothing."

Splat! A spattering of cake rained down on Pitch from above. The man whirled around to see Jack wave to him with icing-covered hands. Olivia flashed him the thumbs up.

Pitch _laughed!_

His laughed wasn't his usual rumbling cackle or a mocking, scorn-filled bark. It was clear. It was beautiful. And full of happiness. More or less.

The whole hall stopped to watch the Nightmare King laugh. After a moment, he fell into silence, too. "What?" He glanced in confusion. "Am I not allowed to laugh!?"

"YOU LAUGHED A REAL LAUGH!" Olivia ejaculated, jumping up to wrap her arms around his neck. Pitch laughed again, smushing cake into her hair.

"Group hug!" Ana exclaimed, rushing up to cling to the pair. "Hey, guys, join in!"

"Um, you two okay there?" Jack stuttered.

"Group hug. Now, Jack!" Ana ordered.

Jack's eyes widened, and he shook his head in exasperation. "Okay," the Guardian consented, jogging over to the congregation.

"Now, everybody else," Olivia added.

"Um..." Pitch began. "I-I don't think-"

But North came over, leading the other Guardians to the hug attack. The children, coaxed by Tooth, joined in.

"Good thing we all smell like cake," Olivia said.


	11. Compromise

Daubt, the Shadow King of the Darklands, sat on his nightmare, a recreation of Pitch's. To his right another, supporting Jack, stood. Marissa was on his left. The dark trio stood at the tip of a large, grassy hill overlooking the kingdom of Sugaria. Behind them, an army of twisting shadows, a scattered smattering of Dream Pirates, and a clump of twisted, writhing masses of darkness that held bare resemblance to a living animal that seemed to suck the light out of the air growled and rustled, impatient to attack.

"The bright, happy, sparkly, bubbly lands of Sparkletopia disturb me," Daubt told Marissa and Jack. "Let us fix this problem."

The king spurred his knock-off nightmare into the night.

* * *

Pitch slipped into Olivia's room in the dead of the night. Weapon poised to fly, the Boogeyman waited for the attackers to arrive. The man glanced at the girl and decided to wake her.

Anger flared in Olivia's stomach. The girl emerged from the realm of dreams to open her eyes to the sight of Pitch brandishing his scythe.

"What the Dark Forest are you doing here?" Olivia yelled.

"Shh!" Pitch hissed. "Daubt is coming with his forces."

"Why didn't you wake me sooner?!" The High General ranted, throwing and kicking the covers off of herself. Olivia sprinted to her closet for a bright red hoodie and dark, form fitting jeans. The girl ducked into the closet, cracked the door, and changed. She popped out, and pulled on a pair of socks and her boots.

"Alright, assemble the others, Pitch," the High General instructed. "I'll get Sparkletopia's forces."

Olivia ran down the pathways of the Sparkletopian palace. Knocking on the doors of the others' rooms, as Pitch awoke the other kids, Guardians, and Ana. Next, the High General alerted the many guards to round up other soldiers and prepare for battle with Daubt's forces.

The many troops assembled themselves, while Tooth and Sandy volunteered to guard the children. The two Guardians barricaded the group in a centric room in the top palace floor. Two more Sparkletopian guards were stationed outside.

Meanwhile, Olivia and Ana gathered the others outside the gates. They stood on a hill overlooking the valley that separated them from the forces of Daubt. Their hair, however, was not flowing majestically in the wind like it should have been. Instead, it blew from behind them.

"Jack," Ana said. "Daubt's hair hair is flowing majestically through the wind. I don't like it. Mess it up!"

Jack yelled, "Hey, Wind, blow this way!"

The mild gale swishing through the air changed directions and blew the hair of Sparkletopia's forces back (majestically, of course) and caused Daubt's legions to have to spit out hair.

"Attack!" Screeched the Shadow King. Daubt's shadows and such swarmed foreward. Ana gave a similar, less crazed command, launching Sparkletopia's forces onward. The two armies collided, soldier on soldier. The various attackers used their unique skills and weapons to bring down enemies. Ana travelled on her polar bear, chopping down shadows with ease. Olivia moved through the enemies' lines on Thunder, sparkling any foes that met her wrath.

Jack Frost came upon Jack the Shadow.

"Hey," Frost greeted him coolly, grinning and shooting him a gun finger. The shadow glared back.

"Now, about MY name..." Frost trailed off, freezing the shadow Jack in a hunk of ice.

"Take that, name thief!" Jack whooped, twirling his staff.

Pitch was frozen. His eyes scanned the masses of flitting bodies for Daubt. The Nightmare King landed his sight on the young Shadow King. One stride, and the Boogeyman was behind him, hand holding Daubt at the shoulder and a nightmare sand knife pressed to his throat. Holding up the hand he had placed on Daubt's shoulder, Pitch reigned in and established control over all of the shadows on the battle field.

"Now!" The man shouted, so as to send his message across to everyone. "I have control! Dare to defy me, and I will let you be consumed by darkness!"

Olivia fought her way through the crowds to yell back, "What the Dark Forest do you think you're doing?!"

Pitch watched the girl with a smile on his face. "Ah, Olivia. The girl I was going to ask for! Come with me! Together, we'll do great things! I have the armies I need. We can win this war, and you will be at my side!"

"What!?" The High General screeched. "Are you crazy!? You want to remove one evil and replace it with another!?"

"No!" Pitch retorted. "While the Ghardians are stuck here, WE can take over Earth!"

"Sounds tempting, but no thanks. I don't like fear and neither does anyone else, so can you please stop?"

"Stop?" the Nightmare King echoed. "Stop!? You want me to stop!?"

"Calm down," Olivia ordered. "Only I'm allowed to be the spazz here!"

"I thought you loved me!"

"Really!? Are you kidding me!? I DO! But I don't want to be all dark and evil!

"I will ascend to warp your reality!"

"Do it! Do it, and see how happy you are!"

Olivia ran over to Boogeyman in the hopes of subduing him. Ana smacked Pitch in the back of the head with a rock. The Nightmare King crumpled to the ground, unconscious. The Queen of Sparkletopia had snuck up behind the distracted man with a large stone.

"Pitch is going to therapy. Daubt... uh, you too. The rest of the shadows and Dream Pirates-"

But the shadows faded into nothing, retreating to the shadows with the capture of their master.

"Nevermind," Ana continued. "Can someone help take these two back? Uh, and maybe Olivia, too?"

The High General and Queen's best friend looked in shock at the fallen Nightmare King.

Several Sparkletopian guards and North shuffled foreward to hoist the two Kings of Darkness up to return to the palace. Jack came up to Olivia to nudge her along.

"Are you okay?" The Guardian asked.

"Yeah," Olivia replied. "I just thought that was crazy, even for him."

Jack laughed. "Nothing is too crazy for him."

"No, I'm pretty sure he wouldn't make cupcakes or marry a tomatoe or start a snowball fight," The High General retorted.

"That's true," The Winter Sprite agreed. "He probabaly wouldn't do anything fun." He exchanged a thoughtful expression for a grin. "Or start a cake fight!"

"Only I would think to force Pitch into a cake fight. Or Ana. Or quite possibly you!"

"Yeah."

"Are you, you know, gonna to join him?"

"No. If I didn't then, I probably won't ever."

"Good. I don't think you are... like him."

"Well, thanks... I guess..."

They all arrived at the palace with the casualties and wounded. Not another word was exchanged among the group as they shuffled into their fortress.

* * *

Pitch awoke to find Olivia, Ana, and Jack's faces peering over him. The Boogeyman yelped in surprise and grabbed ahold of the rim of the bed. "Who are you, youthful scoundrels, who disturb my slumber?"

"What the heck? How hard did you hit his head, Ana?" Olivia blurted, turning to her friend. "Hit him again!"

"Hit my head? Have I been taken prisoner? Are you the Dream Pirates' Commanding Officers?" The loopy man inquired.

"Yes, we are," The High General answered sarcastically. Pitch lunged toward her throat. Jack screamed, "Stop! We arn't Dream Pirates or their officers!"

The Nightmare King pinned Olivia down on the ground while the two other teens attempted to pry him off.

"You are a liar! The maid here said so herself!" Pitch growled.

"GET OFF ME YOU NIGHTMARE FODDER!" Olivia snarled, thrashing about.

"Nightmare?" The Boogeyman crowed. "I am Kozmotis Pitchiner, Lord High General of the Golden Age Armies! You, Nightmare Maid, shall face charges of the highest degree for your crimes against the Constellations. Might I suggest to come quietly and I shall do what I can to ease your burdens?"

"We. Are. NOT. In. The. GOLDEN AGE, you blithering idiot! Queen Ana, remember her? She hit you with a rock. You are experiencing amnesia. NOW GET YO' SORRY BUTT OFFA ME BEFORE I KICK IT TO NEW YORK!"

Jack and Ana dragged Pitch, who allowed them to do so, off of Olivia. The villain rose to his feet, brushing off his clothes. "Ah ha! Here is proof I call you true, a liar, Nightmare Maid:-" he gestured to his robes. "-you have cloaked me in your nightmarish attire."

Olivia facepalmed herself. "Oh, great. Pitch is reliving his glory days of fighting Dream Pirates and mimicking Shakespeare," she groaned.

"Only my crew refers to me as Lord Pitch," the man said. "You can call me Kozmotis or Pitchiner."

"I'm sticking with Captain Sparkle Butt, thank you," the girl reciprocated.

"Captain Sparkle Butt?" Pitch echoed. "How dare you refer to me in that tone of manner? Have you no respect?"

"I'll explain it to you later," Olivia muttered.

The amnesiac man snatched the girl's arm. "What do you plan to do to me?"

"Let you stay here until you get back your memories or we figure out someone else," The High General replied.

"You must understand," he continued, almost desperately. "I must return to my family."

Olivia gave the man a mournful look, turned away, and dragged Ana and Jack after her. The group shuffled into the corner and began a hushed conversatiion.

"I think this is good," Olivia began.

"How?" Jack asked, chewing the word carefully in his mouth.

"If he's all noble intentions and good deeds, we can help him realize who he really is! Maybe we can keep nightmares from ever being powerful again and right some old wrongs!" Olivia insisted.

"I don't know, Olivia, he might just try to tackle you again..." Ana whispered. "If you really want to... I mean, I thought you already had, but now... I just don't know! You can try, but if he ever hurts you or does something bad, I'm locking him up for good."

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Pitch screamed, his hands clenched on his head as if he had a blistering migraine ripping through his skull.

"Are you okay?!" The High General screamed, rushing over to hug Pitch. "Shh! It's okay! It's okay!" Olivia continued to calm the man down by holding onto him and murmuring "It's okay."

Pitch wimpered. "Why are there Fearlings' voices in my head?"

"You became evil, Kozmotis. Fearlings possessed you," the girl explained.

"You... you lie, Nightmare Maid!" The Nightmare King yelled, shoving Olivia off of himself. He scrambled around for a weapon. "I shall slay you, now!"

"Olivia!" Jack exclaimed, yanking the girl back towards Ana and himself. The Guardian brandished his staff towards Pitch. "Calm down, Pitch. You don't understand what's going on."

"I knew you were all Nightmares!" The ex-General hissed. "I will send you all to He-"

Olivia ripped herself free and approached the Boogeyman with palms up. "I'm not evil, nor am I a Nightmare Maid. You can search me for signs of evil."

"You seek to deceive my senses! Plague me no more, or I shall cut your head off."

Olivia sensed that in order to get his trust, she needed to establish an understandable character for his mind. That meant proving her allegiance to good and using his style of language (It has been proven by scientific research that mimicking others speech and mannerisms forms bonds). "I do not seek the council of evil, nor do align myself with any nightmarish being, for I am in allegiance with Tsar Lunanoff's cause."

"Does not the clever little maid clense the sense of deceit? I have a fair mind to give you what you desire: my trust," Pitch laughed.

"Wow, I didn't know you could talk like that," Jack breathed.

Olivia turned her head to him. "The REAL reason for English class," she whispered.

"So, are you truly a fighter for the cause of the Constellations?" Pitch (or Kozmotis, whichever you prefer) interrogated.

"I am," Olivia agreed. "Nor am I a Nightmare Maid. I seek to rid the worlds of evils and give everyone a chance to fly."

"I do not know who you are, but I know I have seen your face before. Perhaps, in a dream?" Pitch said.

"Sure," Olivia agreed, giving him her unconvinced face.

"I am sorry, I must mistake you for another."

"Nah, it's okay."

The High General walked back to Jack and Ana. "You know, I like this. Let's video tape him doing something Pitch would die over if he saw," the girl suggested.

"I like _this _idea," Jack muttered to the side of his mouth to Olivia.

"What are we going to video tape him doing?" Ana inquired.

"Hmmmmmmmm..." Olivia mused. "Hey, er, Kozmotis, do you participate in the activity of reciting poetry?"

"No," he answered.

"What of baking?"

"Baking?" The man chuckled. "What man of trade do you take me for?"

"We were jus- simply accessing what activities you participate in. You see, we are attempting to aid you in your quest to regain your missing memories," Olivia half-lied.

"I see," Pitch said. "But how would this help me?"

"I believe if you are exposed to something you do on a regular basis, you may begin to remember," Olivia said.

"Well, I, of course, fight Dream Pirates, but I also dance. Ballroom dances and such."

"Ballroom-?" Jack began to laugh as Olivia clamped a hand over his mouth.

"Anything else?"

"Well, I play with my daughter."

"Jack, get Sophie."

* * *

Sophie, Pitch, Olivia, Jack, and Ana colored, painted, and glittered giganormous, long rolls of paper unfurled out on Pitch's room-cell. The walls, floors, and ceiling were white so the prisoners could paint or decorate the walls of the fungeon.

Ana was doodling out a scene from the cake fight, using everyone as living models. Jack was designing a snowflake pattern. Sophie scribbled all over her portion (and a bit on the others') of the paper. Olivia crafted a sketch of kids running around in a game of tag using rainbows and glitter. Pitch drew a picture of his family.

Next, the man began a potrait of Sophie and brought it to the girl's attention. A camcorder stood on a tripod across the room, filming the 'Memory Reconstruction Session: Trial One.'

"Look, Sophie, it's you," Kozmotis said. "Want to color it?"

"Color! Color! Color!" Sophie chanted, giggling. Her marker began to scribble across the paper again. Kozmotis smiled down at the little girl.

The ex-General glanced up. "What memories did I loose?"

"You..." Ana trailed off, not wanting to hurt the man. Ana whispered to Olivia. "Olivia, can we not tell him since he's nice? Just for a while? Then, when we can trust him, we can tell him the truth."

"Okay."

Time passed, and Olivia and Ana allowed Kozmotis to wander the grounds of the palace and the streets of Sugaria. The amnesiac loved to play with the children, gaze at the artwork on the palace walls, and enjoyed listening about Sparkletopia and the fights with Daubt. Eventually, evening settled in, and night draped its cloak across the world. Pitch had been relocated to his first room.

"This is lovely... much better than the one I awoke in!" The man exclaimed. "Thank you for caring for my needs while I recover. I do not wish to return home and find my daughter has aged several years from when I last seemed to remember."

Ana's eyes drifted over to Olivia's. Uh oh...

The Queen of Sparkletopia approached Kozmotis, nudged him to his bed, and sat him and herself down. Olivia followed and settled next to Ana on the other side of the piece of furniture.

Kozmotis glanced uneasily from one girl to the other. "Um, is something amiss, Olivia, Ana?"

"We have to tell you something," Ana began. "About your memories and... who you are... Pit- er, Kozmotis, you, after, um, defeated all the Dream Pirates and Fearlings, became evil. They possessed you."

"But... what of my family?" Pitch asked, his voice a panicked, weak whisper.

"They... You were called out to fight some Dream Pirates and you went out and they weren't where they told you, they went... Olivia you can finish. Excuse me." Ana slid off the bed and exited the room, leaving her High Genera, to finish. Tears began to prick her eyes.

"Your family was attacked, but only your wife was killed. She died protecting your daughter. Instead of letting them get her, she jumped out of a window with a doll, making it look like she took your daughter with her. Your daughter escaped on her schooner."

"She is alive?" Kozmotis whispered, his melancholy demeanor subsiding. "Do you know where she is?!"

"She is on Earth. Many centuries have passed since this time. You became King of Nightmares and destroyed the Golden Age."

"No," Kozmotis breathed. "I- no. I couldn't have!"

"You, now on Earth, are known as the Boogeyman, and you fight the Guardians. You try to destroy the dreams of innocent children. You want to plunge the world into a second Dark Ages."

"Olivia, please, stop this madness. Do not scare me. I do not wish to experience this nightmare. Do not spotlight yourself as truly a Nightmare Maid! Do you not... not..."

Olivia held out a hand for him. "Put the past behind you. Fight the darkness! You are more than this."

"But my daughter..." Kozmotis murmured.

"You left her alone. I know you did try to find her, but when she appeared to you, you didn't even try to establish a reconnection with her."

Kozmotis's expression betrayed his hurts, and Olivia could sense he might start to cry. He looked to her for explanation. "How could I?"

"Fearlings."

Queen Ana returned after this response, tapping the door to alert the others she was entering. "I'm better now. Did... you tell him?"

"Yes," the High General answered.

Ana gasped, causing Olivia to turn in surprise. A tear streamed down Kozmotis Pitchiner's face, and he buried his face in his hands. The queen raced over and embraced Pitch, who began to sob. Olivia took his face in her hands. "Please don't cry. You have a chance to make this better."

"How?" Kozmotis wimpered. "I destroyed everything."

"Your daughter is still alive. She misses the man you were: the man you are now," Olivia said. "Go find her and make things right!"

"Uh, Olivia, you're forgetting a few things. How can he get back his memories and how can he get back?" Ana said.

"I don't know," Olivia admitted. "For now, why don't you take your mind off of things and get some sleep?"

"There are- are voices in my head!" Kozmotis seemed to insist as if the girls would not believe him. "Don't leave yet!"

"Uh, I, uh..." Ana stuttered.

Olivia turned to her friend. "We can stay and watch you until you fall asleep. I'll go get some milk; that'll help you settle down."

Olivia speed out for a drink.

Ana looked to Kozmotis, shifting uncomfortably without her protector. "Are you okay?"

The amnesiac shook his head. "It is killing me. I do not know whether to believe this as real or not. I hope not. However, I-I just need to... rest." The ex-General fell back onto the pillows.

Olivia sprinted back in with a few large mugs. "Here, Kozmotis!" The High General handed one to him full of milk, another to Ana with cocoa, and kept the last, with cocoa, for herself. The trio sipped (and at one point, slurped (Olivia)) their beverages.

"So," Ana broached. "Do you feel sleepy, yet?"

"No," he answered.

"Well, whenever I go to sleep, it's because I'm settled down with the lights off and I'm still. So, you do that-" Olivia stood up. "- and we'll sit over by the window if you need us." The Queen and High General ambled over to the window seat, where enough room to use as a small bed for a mediumish person could sleep exsisted. The two friends sat, finishing off their drinks and watching over the disheveled Kozmotis Pitchiner.

"Now, I kinda wish we had waited a while to tell him," Ana whispered.

"Yeah, and maybe in chunks," Olivia agreed. She turned to Kozmotis. "Are you okay?" The High General whispered.

"Yes, I believe so." The man clicked off the lamp beside the bed, sending them into semi-darkness.

* * *

The golden rays of the sun streamed in through the window, springing from brightly hued clouds that drifted through the sky in colors like mellow oranges, pale purples, and rosy pinks. The sky's blue had not ripened to its fullest, darkest blue (pastel blue) and was a milky shade of its true color. A light breeze danced among the tall, fresh green grass. Olivia had been pulled out sleep as the first beam of sunlight slunk onto her face. The High General blinked, irregularly, the dreams from her vision. Olivia examined the situation. Ana was snoozing away with her head buried in her arms and the window wall. Olivia had slipped half way into the floor (in an unusually comfortable position) and had snuggled up against the window itself. Kozmotis was wide awake, studying her with wide eyes. "I hope you don't mind I let you sleep. I couldn't seem to become tired. I could hear voices in my head all night."

"Don't listen to them. Effectively learn to zone them out and ignore them," Olivia instructed,MN habit setting in. "And, in only this instance, I forgive you for letting us fall asleep."

"Only this-?" He muttered. "Have I done this before?"

"Once."

"I knew you?"

"You know me. Until you forgot."

"Ah, I see. This explains many things."

"Like what?"

"This revelation informs me why I am here, in Sparkletopia. It also explains why you have an unexplained interest in my well being." Pitch smiled. "I do not know you anymore. Remind me. Maybe I shall regain some of my missing memories."

"Uh, well," Olivia began, searching for a place to explain. "Ana and I were in study hall at school. We wanted to go on an adventure. So, using the power of the sticky notes, I transported all of us- the Guardians, Ana, you, the kids, and I- to Sparkletopia. We ended up here, in Sugaria, and discovered Ana was the queen, and I was the High General. Through the fear of one Sir Gingerbread-Gumdrop, you discovered a land called the Darklands. Upon coming here, everyone had lost their powers and weapons, so you decided going to the Darklands was the best option for reclaiming your abilities- to wield darkness and shadows. Queen Ana required that I go with you to ensure you didn't destroy anything. Over the course of the adventure, I was able to form a friendship, through my powers of sarcasm and annoying goofiness. Next, we reached the Darklands. There, the Shadow King, Daubt, tried to persuade you to be evil (and I had to force you to dance and be nicer). And you eventually got your powers. You became nicer, a little more caring. You faced the Fearlings and Dream Pirates. We returned to Sparkletopia (twice, since you were kidnapped). We even had a cake fight with everyone we had brought here! Until Daubt attacked, and you took control of his forces. You wanted me to help you take over the world. So, Ana hit you in the head with a rock! Now, we're here."

"Sounds like quite the adventure," he laughed. "And I suppose we are friends?"

"Well, yes, but you don't have to worry about that for now, okay? I just want you to focus on getting back your memories and your happiness."

Ana groaned, and the queen sat up. "What happened?"

"I let you two rest. I could not settle into dreaming."

"Yeah... okay," Ana mumbled, still half asleep. With coaxing from Olivia, she and Ana stood and began going towards the door. "We're going to breakfast. See ya, Pitch!" The queen said as farewell.

Kozmotis scrambled to his feet, tossing the covers off himself almost violently. "Might I join you?" His brow furrowed in slight worry.

"Yeah, c'mon! You'll love the rainbows and glitter!" Olivia urged him.

"Glitter?" He echoed, following behind them. "Olivia, are you saying we shall be ingesting sparkly goop?!"

"It's liquid, _ingestable _glitter to drink," the High General explained.

"Are there anything other beverages, such as juice or champagne?" the ex-General of the Golden Age armies inquired.

"There's glitter champagne and glitter juice," Olivia offered.

As the trio strided down the hall ways to the dining hall, Kozmotis's expression fell into annoyance. "What in God's name is the point of having liquid... glitter... BEVERAGES!?

"It's Sparkletopia. Get over it," Queen Ana snapped.

"This is ridiculous. I MUST be in a delusional fantasy, or, perhaps, a nightmare. A simple, yet _effective, _trick of those ruthless Fearlings and Dream Pirates. Or... the pretty Nightmare Maid!" Kozmotis half-muttered under his breath, almost triumphantly.

"Pitch, stop flirting with me," Olivia snapped, without glancing back at the Nightmare King.

"Why, you little-! I would never! I have a wife!" He protested, shrieking

"Please, Ana, kill me now!" the girl groaned to her friend. "This got so awkward fast."

"Um, yeah..." Ana agreed, shuffling away from Pitch and Olivia.

The trio sauntered down the furnished and decorated hallways to the dining room, which had become a regular hotspot for finding the travellers from our world. A few of the kids and Tooth sat perched on chairs, munching on sugary pancakes drenched in syrup and piles of frost-thin glitter dust. Pitchers of glittery beverages scattered the table.

"Hi!" Tooth chirped. "Come sit down!" The fairy patted the empty chair beside her.

"Hi, Olivia!" Most of the other kids greeted the High General. "Hi, um, Queen Ana!"

"Hey, guys, what's up?" Olivia greeted them, tossing her hands into the air at the elbow. "You've met Ana, right?"

"Yep!" Jamie agreed.

"And Kozmotis?"

"Who's that?"

"Pitch, before he became evil."

"He was... good at one point?"

Kozmotis stepped foreward. "I was," he confirmed. "I was the Lord High General of the Golden Age armies!"

Olivia joked, "He was also Lord High General of the Rings."

A few children chuckled. The ex-General shot her a confused look.

"As I was saying, I fought the... _things _that now... have control over me." Kozmotis shuddered. His face twitched. Olivia thought his nose wiggled, as if he sniffed the air. Kozmotis's face curled in a nasty grin. "Children," he hissed.

"Quick, Ana, jump on him! Hit him with a rock!" Olivia yelled. Tooth fluttered up, unsure whether to attack or defend, or even if any of that was all neccessary. Ana protested in confusion. "Wha-?"

Kozmotis's expression of fear fought through the Fearlings' spell. "Nightmare Maid, this is your doing! You have tricked to me to keep me here as your slave! Burden me no more!"

"Pitch, you are under the spell of Fearlings, in confusion and distress, and in the proximity of young, innocent children. If you are possessed by Fearlings, wouldn't you think they would want you to eventually hurt them?" The High General said, almost soothingly. "Just calm down."

"But how do I calm down?"

"Uh..." Olivia's mind thrashed in wild thought. "Close your eyes." Pitch clamped his eyes closed. "Think about something you do as a hobby... And now sing 'The Music of the Night."

Kozmotis's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "I do not know this song. How does it go?"

It had been a joke at first, but the High General saw it as a method to ensuring peace now. She began singing, "Uh... softly, gently, night unfurls its splendor...?"

"Hold on, it starts 'nighttime, heightens, sharpens each sensation!'" Pitch corrected her, and then frowned. "How do I know that?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing," Olivia told him, shrugging. "Probably you like theater is my guess."

"Olivia!" Ana exclaimed. "You were right!"

"Well, OF COURSE I was right, Ana!" Olivia returned in a mock matter-of-fact manner. "I'm_ always _right!"

"And modest," Pitch, who didn't exactly get the 'mock' part of the statement snorted, and then his face froze. His eyes bulged, until... a smile crept onto his face.

"Photosynthesisssssssss," he hissed, a sly look at Olivia.

Everyone, including Olivia (although slightly less so), wore faces of worried confusion. The High General took a step back.

Pitch advanced on the girl, a nasty grin distorting his features. He yanked her collar up towards his face.

"Boo!" The Nightmare King whispered. Dropping Olivia, Pitch unleashed a mad cackle, terrifying everyone in the room (yet still only managing to confuse, weird out, and leave Olivia wondering why he though SHE was the idiot here).

"Olivia! Olivia!" Pitch howled, laughter spewing from his lips. "How much I love your stupidity would leave the most intelligent bewildered!" The Boogeyman let out another few laughs, yerked up Olivia like a rag doll, and kissed her cheek like an adoring father.

"Ew, gross," was all the High General could manage to say in a slight monotone while Pitch continued to abuse her with his self-restoration celebration.

"You have returned me! Yipee!"

"Did you just say, 'Yipee?'" Olivia inquired, descending further into being weirded out, pointing at Pitch while she dangled in a hug.

Pitch held the High General out, beaming at her, and placed her back- stumbling- onto the ground. The Nightmare King held her gaze. "I do believe I offered you to come with me."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, I thought you might remember what I sai-" the girl began protesting.

"No, no, no," the man interrupted, shaking his upturned palms. "I meant something else. I _do _want you to come with me. Not to take over the world, rest assured."

"Wait, what?!" Olivia yelped.

"Come with me," Pitch insisted, kneeling at Olivia's eye level. The girl watched his eerie, silvery golden eyes bore into her's. "Together, we can do wonders!"

Olivia gulped, crumpling into the Nightmare King's arms. She had fainted.

Olivia peeked open her eyes, savoring the warmth of the fuzzy white blanket that cacooned her body and the fluffy white comforter that lay on top of her. She nestled into her squishy pillow, curling up tighter. Cozy.

"Awake yet?" Pitch's voice filled Olivia's ears, startling her awake. "I assume you needed some time to think, considering you fainted into my arms."

The High General grimanced, embarrassed by her display of weakness. "Um," she managed to call out. "Yeah, I need some time to, you know, make a decision that affects my path in life forever and stuff."

"Of course," the Boogeyman agreed. "I do not want you to take this lightly... heh, heh, witty..."

Olivia buried herself further into the covers, trying to block out distractions. What in the world was Pitch thinking? _Go with him?! _Honestly, what was he expecting her to do? Be his therapist? His sidekick? His assistant? His replacement daughter?! Olivia was not one to want to hurt his feelings, but the idea did not appeal. As much as helping the Nightmare King meant to the High General of Sparkletopia, Olivia still enjoyed her own life too. Yes, she wanted to live with in this paradise forever with all of the characters, but there comes a certain time when a hero must return home and remember why going on an adventure is so much better than math class (as well as see friends and family). But this was agreeing to (possibly, an eternity of) being with Pitch doing who knows what nonsense! All the Boogeyman did was wrong- spreading fear, terror, and nightmares to children, ignoring the important people in his life, and destroying goodness and light wherever he found them. Olivia might have well just convinced herself her favorite color was black.

Scrambling to surface from her cacoon of blankets, Olivia peeked out at Pitch, who was smiling at her. _Oh, no... his fragile, over inflated ego is gonna burst...!_

"Um, Pitch, you know I can't join you," the girl said. "I'm sorry."

The man's face betrayed a look of horror as he recoiled from her words.

"No, no, no-"

"It's fine."

"No, it's not. I can see it in your face."

"No, you can't! I know you can't... come with me..."

Olivia stepped up to Pitch before he moved away, towards the door. With a click he was gone.

Olivia threw off her covers, sprinting after the man. Liv away! The High General shoot out of the room after the Boogeyman, straining to figure out where he fled to. Stretches of empty halls and throngs of all the wrong people met her. Finally, retreating to his room for one last effort, she gave up. No sign was to be found in his quarters, either.

"I ask you to cease your search for me," the British voice of the Nightmare King rang out from everywhere around the girl. "I am not inclined to listen to you at the moment."

"I know this isn't going to make you feel better, but I'm getting the impression you are a very possessive man," the High General said.

"Olivia, I have already stated that I do not wish to hear your encouragement if all you will do is leave me hanging," Pitch sighed.

"Exactly," Olivia agreed, yet to another comment. "You act like, since I want to help you, I have to spend MY LIFE doing so! I want to be your friend, but not if I have to become your replacement daughter/princess/whatever!"

"I thought, perhaps, you might want to stay with me..."

"I would LOVE to come visit you... and you can always visit me, you know... but I would miss my family and friends. Besides, what if you don't like me always under your feet. I'm energetic and like attention... I'm annoying... I'm an absolute bucket of sunshine, glitter, and rainbows! Wouldn't I be better off always bothering the Guardians?"

"A remarkable question!" Pitch commented, emerging from the shadows and solidifying into his usual shape. "I thought that, yes, but, I have seen you can be kind, somewhat... intelligent-"

"Whoa, whoa... did you just call me _intelligent?!"_

"Yes, my dear, now, listen... I know you are all those, but I have seen your appreciation for something less flowery than what the Guardians have to offer, not to mention your keen interest in my freedom. What do you say?"

Olivia embraced Pitch in the deepest of hugs.

"Shutupshutupshutupshutup!" The girl murmured. "Stop manipulating my feelings, you horrible, terrible person!"

Pitch bounced in silent laughter. "Alright," he consented. "I will try my best."


	12. Epilog

Three Months Later...

Ana, the Queen of Sparkletopia, and her best friend, Olivia, the High General of Sparkletopia, crept through a dismal cave that allowed them only a few weak, sickly rays of sunlight to see by. The uneven pathways, divergences from the main path, and clutter of the space disoriented the girls.

Black sand swirled from the shadows to the pair, encircling them in tendrils of darkness. The streams fell to the floor, creating tinkling thuds on the stone floor. Pitch rose to tower over the two girls.

"Hello, ladies. What brings you here?" The Nightmare King broached.

"You invited me to come whenever I want," Olivia explained, almost grumpy. "So, I came."

"Aw," the Boogeyman cooed. "Someone's gwumpy! Do you need a nappy?"

"Not really," the girl said.

"We came to visit you, but if you're busy..." Ana began.

"Ana," Pitch sighed, pronouncing 'Ana' like 'ah-na.' "Of course I am busy! I have nightmares to spread, Guardians to avoid, and plotting to do! What else might I be doing?"

"Taking a shower and singing and dancing in the mirror," Olivia answered, before singing to a make believe reflective piece, "Flattering child, you shall know me. See why in shadow I hide. Look at your face in the mirror; I am there, inside!"

"Lovely performance, but I am quite worn out," the man said, exhaling a deep breath.

"Do we need to come back?" Ana inquired.

The Boogeyman stared at them for a moment, contemplating. He appeared as though he had been running a marathon all morning.

"You know," Olivia commented. "You don't look so good. What have you been doing?"

"I had to make up for that whole day we were gone at Sparkletopia, Olivia!" Pitch snarked, casting a meanful glance at the girl. "Childrens' hopes are raising without my constant presense! I am losing any shred of power that I have! Do you know how tired and weak that makes me?"

"Yeah, I do, actually. But I have just the remedy for... _that..." _Olivia told him, reaching into her bag for a rainbow. The High General handed him the strip of colors. Pitch accepted the food with an odd look, but nibbled a bite. A splash of color returned to the man's face.

"Putrid, yet refreshing nonetheless," the Nightmare King declared. "How does a cup of tea sound?"

**Hope you loved it! If not... too bad! (I love you anyway.) Pitch, any last words? Oh, he says to tell you none of this happened. (Lies!)**

**Until I get another idea,**

**R.C.**


End file.
